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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27952109">A Wolf By Any Other Name . . . .</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrairieFlower/pseuds/WildClover27'>WildClover27 (PrairieFlower)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Garrison's Gorillas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:02:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>30,179</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27952109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrairieFlower/pseuds/WildClover27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The war with the Sgt./Major goes on. And a mission has unexpected consequences.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Non-canon characters are my own and not for use in other people's stories.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Supper that evening was a boisterous affair, with everyone talking and laughing, except Sgt./Major Collins.  Terry had done the cooking without too much objection from the Sgt./Major.  On the last mission Garrison, Casino and Actor had been on to France, the confidence man had somehow managed to sneak two bottles of excellent burgundy wine out without breaking them.  Terry had taken those, a large - by wartime standards - hunk of Black Market beef and more Black Market mushrooms.  From the garden, she had harvested onions, thyme, and carrots.  The freezer had yielded bacon, while the pantry had coughed up an overlooked jar of canned tomato puree, some molasses and some precious sugar.  It wasn’t exactly beef bourguignon, but even Actor thought it was wonderful.</p><p>Goniff was tearing into his bowl like he had not eaten in weeks.  The psychological boost of having the sutures in his head removed by Actor that morning had brightened him considerably and he was almost his old self.</p><p>“You got more?” asked Casino.  “This is great, Babe.”</p><p>“I have more,” admitted Terry, “but if you eat it tonight there won’t be any for tomorrow.  It’s better the second day anyway.”</p><p>“I think you have outdone yourself tonight, Sister,” smiled Craig.</p><p>Casino sat back in his chair with a satisfied grin.  He turned his head to look at the woman beside him.  “Hey, Babe, you know how to make cheese?”</p><p>Terry looked at him dubiously, wondering where this was leading.  “Um, kind of, I guess.  It’s easier to buy it.  Why?”</p><p>Casino grinned at Garrison.  “Forget gettin’ her a cow.  Can yuh get her a sheep?”</p><p>Actor knew exactly where his mind was at and gave a loud laugh.</p><p>Garrison crossed his arms in front of his chest with the stern military look he was so good at.  “No . . . sheep.”</p><p>“Casino!  Thanks for the support!” she protested.  “Besides, we’re cattlemen.  We don’t raise sheep.  Why do you want a sheep?”</p><p>“Pecorino fresco,” said Actor.  “I’m sure you’ve had it before.”</p><p>Terry’s eyes widened.  “Where did you get fresh pecorino?”</p><p>“Someplace you probably wouldn’t have wanted to eat,” said Garrison with a smile.  He looked sternly back at the safecracker.  “Casino, no sheep, no cow, no goat, no pig.”</p><p>“I already have,” Terry counted in her mind, “three pigs at the moment.”</p><p>Garrison’s face froze and he stared at her.  “Where are you keeping three pigs?”</p><p>“I know we’re not feeding pigs here,” interjected Collins.  He knew what went into the compost, and the chicken coop, and the burn barrel.</p><p>The girl grinned in response.  “I bought into three pig clubs.”</p><p>Actor chuckled and Collins’ eyes got big.  Garrison had heard something somewhere about pig clubs but had not paid attention.  The other two cons knew nothing about it.</p><p>“Three, Miss?” squeaked Collins.  “You bought into three!”</p><p>Terry nodded.  </p><p>“But . . . but,” he stuttered.  “We aren’t feeding them.”</p><p>“We aren’t,” agreed Terry.  “I am.  Kit’s in it with me.  I swap eggs to La Petit Luna.  They save us their scraps after dinner hour at the restaurant.  Kit goes in the morning, gets the scraps and takes them to the people who are raising the pigs.  And we’ve started making up sandwiches at the Fox for lunchtime.  Goes over good with the people at G-2.  So whatever leftovers we have that need to be thrown out, go with the scraps from the restaurant.”</p><p>“So how do you get enough food to make sandwiches?” asked Garrison, now interested.  “Black Market shouldn’t be cost effective.”</p><p>Actor answered that one.  “They are a public house, serving food.  They do not have the restrictions individuals have.”</p><p>“That where yer getting’ the sugar for Goniff’s tea from?” asked Casino.</p><p>Terry glared at him.  “Casino, one of these days do you think you could learn to think before you run off at the mouth?”</p><p>“What?” he objected.  She flicked her eyes toward the Sgt./Major without him seeing her.</p><p>Chief didn’t help matters any.  “So where are you gettin’ the sugar?”</p><p>Terry hoped this wasn’t going to G-2 via Collins’ big ears.  “Some of it is Black Market.  Kit, Chris, and my rations.”  She did not mention the not quite proper ration books the men seem to come by.  ‘The rest comes from Ma and Kate Gallagher.  They send the box to the flat and Kit and I divide it.”</p><p>“So how much sugar is that?” persisted Casino.  Garrison wanted to know too, so he allowed the safecracker to talk.</p><p>“Ma and Kate get 2 pounds every 4 weeks.  That’s the base.  Now, Gallaghers have a cousin in Lethbridge, Alberta.  She’s a widow and she’s diabetic.  Instead of swapping out her sugar ration tickets for something else, she gets the sugar and packages it up. </p><p>“You’re running ‘ot sugar across the border?” asked Goniff with delight.</p><p>Terry wrinkled her nose.  “A little worse than that.”  She paused.</p><p>“Go on,” urged Garrison.  “I want to hear this.”</p><p>Terry grinned.  “Remember Old Man Parker?”  He nodded.  “Well, he knows the back way into Canada without the border check.  He takes truckloads of hay and grass bales up there every month or two and sells them at a decent, or indecent, profit.  He picks Kate up, drops her off at the cousin’s house, sells his grass and hay, picks her up and brings her home.  So, every month or two Kate comes back with another four pounds of sugar.  She gives one pound to Parker for the ride.”</p><p>“That’s a lot for a couple pounds of sugar,” said Casino dubiously.</p><p>Garrison eyed his sister.  “There’s more isn’t there?”</p><p>Terry nodded.  “Kate and Ma have been letting Parker come harvest grass and hay from the ranches.  They get paid a portion of the take.”</p><p>Actor laughed.  “Ingenious!”</p><p>Craig shook his head.  “Do Max and Dad know what their wives are doing?”</p><p>“Are you kidding?” scoffed his sister. “Would you tell Max or Dad something like that?”</p><p>Garrison shook his head.  “No.<br/>”<br/>“The postage must be horrendous,” remarked Collins.</p><p>“Kit and I send money home for the postage and to help them stay afloat.”</p><p>“They are in need of finances?” asked Actor.  He still exchanged letters with Josie Garrison, but they were nice generic letters because of the censors.  No questions asked and not much offered except reminiscing about the old times in Italy.</p><p>“Well,” said Terry.  “They raise their own vegetables and fruit.  They have the chickens for eggs and meat, a couple milk cows, and a couple head of cattle.  Craig, Monty, and I send money home.  Chris doesn’t have much because she and the boys don’t break into safes, so they don’t get the takes we do.  Joe, Kit and Pres send money home too.” </p><p>Collins looked back and forth between the two Garrisons.  “When the Yanks joined the war, we thought all Americans are rich.”</p><p>“I know,” said Casino.  “Overpaid, oversexed, and over here.  We get that all the time at the pubs.”</p><p>“American soldiers do get paid more than British soldiers,” said Garrison.</p><p>“Yeah?  An’ when are they gonna start payin’ us?” asked the safecracker.</p><p>“You aren’t regular army,” Craig reminded him.  “And pay was not in the contract you signed with the Army to get out of prison.”</p><p>“Okay, Gentlemen,” said Terry brightly, deciding it was time to end this conversation.  “If you’re done, then let me get at the dishes.”</p><p>GGG</p><p>The Sgt./Major was not at all happy with the supper meal.  Oh, he ate his, and it was good, but it wasn’t right.  And he made that perfectly clear to Terry in the kitchen.  She should not be coddling the men.  They were part of the army so in his mind, despite what he had been told, they were still soldiers and should be treated as such.  Terry was of a mind to leave again, but she waited to make sure the guys got a second meal out of what she had cooked.</p><p>Her response to the annoying man was, “If it bothers you so much, then feel free to not eat it.  You can cook something to your standards for yourself.”</p><p>Two days later, Terry moved back out.  Christine had already left and was no longer at the flat.  ‘Auntie’ was not happy with her being two hours away from London, so she and the boys were put up in another large flat that had bedrooms enough to accommodate all four of them.  This left Garrison and his men without either girl again; something that did not go over good with the men.</p><p>Collins had taken over their physical training.  It gave him great pleasure to set up obstacle courses and training areas that were guaranteed to get the men dirty and push them to their limits.  They in turn took great pleasure in doing what they could in retaliation that was so sneaky it couldn’t come back on Garrison like before.</p><p>The first thing Collins did was add another wall to the obstacle course.  This one was a little shorter than the original so that one man could scale it without the help of another.  The men had seen it and taken it in stride, until the first time they ran the course with the new wall.  Actor was first in line to go over the wall.  He came out of the trees at a full out run.  There wasn’t enough time for him to see the quagmire at the base of the wall.  He attempted the jump, but when his foot landed in the mud, it slipped out from under him and he went down, face first into the mess.  Casino came flying out of the woods, determined the con man would not get through first.  He wasn’t able to stop in time and ran into Actor’s back, knocking him face down into the mud again. </p><p>Chief saw what had happened and sprang forward.   His foot landed in the middle of Casino’s back, shoving the safecracker and the con man further into the muck, but allowing the scout to clear the wall with a minimum of dirt.  Goniff put his breaks on and slid into the first two men like he was sliding into first base playing baseball.</p><p>Goniff got up and reached a hand for Casino’s, pulling him up.  He in turn, grabbed Actor’s wrist and yanked him out of the mud hole.  Chief sauntered around the end of the wall and kept his distance.  He could not help but grin at Actor.  The tall, usually elegant man was a mass of mud with two eyes glaring out.  </p><p>Casino turned on Collins.  “You lousy crumb!”</p><p>Collins smiled.  “You gentlemen need to practice on something more realistic.”</p><p>Actor barely maintained his temper.  He scraped mud from his face as best he could with filthy hands and marched away toward the manor house.  </p><p>“’Ere now, you aren’t done yet!  You ‘ave ‘alf a course to finish.”  The Sgt./Major was grinning now.</p><p>Actor did not stop.</p><p>“I wouldn’t mess with him if I were you,” said Chief.  “You might find yourself eatin’ mud.”</p><p>“That’s good coming from you,” shot Casino.  “What was that you pulled, Injun?”</p><p>“I couldn’t stop any more than you could,” said Chief, hands raised palms up.</p><p>“Enough talking,” said Collins cheerfully.  “You have to finish the rest of the course.”</p><p>“We’re finished, Limey,” snapped Casino.</p><p>The three men turned and followed Actor.  The con man reached the house first, pounding up the steps.  Inside, Garrison could hear loud talking and cursing in Italian.  It brought him to the door of his office just as the front door slammed open and something large and unidentifiable stormed in.  The voice and height were the only thing familiar.</p><p>“What happened?” demanded Garrison.</p><p>Actor was beside himself with rage.  “That . . . Limey . . . wanted the obstacle course to be more ‘realistic’!  I would love to ‘realistic’ him!”</p><p>“Did he get all of you?” asked Craig, not sure whether to be angry or laugh.  A laugh right now could be fatal though.</p><p>“All except Chief, and I can’t guarantee him if Casino gets his hands on him.”  Actor looked down at himself in disgust.  “I am going to shower.”</p><p>The Italian stomped up the stairs.  Garrison stayed in the office doorway and waited.  It wasn’t long before the other three came in; their state of mind much the same as Actor’s.</p><p>“Warden!” started Casino.</p><p>Garrison help up a hand.  “I know.  I heard.  Go get cleaned up.”</p><p>The three went upstairs to shower.  Garrison waited.  The door opened and a beaming Collins entered.</p><p>“Was that really necessary, Sgt./Major?” asked Garrison, with the calmness the others would recognize as anger.</p><p>“They need more training.  They have it entirely too easy here,” said the non-com smugly.</p><p>“May I remind you that you have it entirely too easy here also?”</p><p>“I’m just doin’ me job, Leftenant,” objected Collins.</p><p>“Well I suggest you do it a little more militarily and a lot less forcefully,” instructed Garrison sternly.</p><p>“Yes, Sir.”</p><p>The Sgt./Major went to the kitchen and Garrison went back into his office, shaking his head.  He knew his men.  There would be retribution.</p><p>It took a week and an intervening mission before the cons could begin getting even with the Sgt./Major.   Goniff watched the British non-com take wet laundry out to the clotheslines and hang them up.  His uniforms took up one entire line.  The pickpocket hightailed it up to the second floor common room.  The others looked up at his cheeky grin.</p><p>“Out the window!” instructed Goniff.   “Chiefy, we’ll need your knife, a shovel, and a ‘ose.”</p><p>The three didn’t know what he had in mind, but they knew it had to be good.  They followed him out the window, making sure the bars didn’t clink on their way out.  Single-file, they snuck around the house and out to the back where the clotheslines were.  Casino got a shovel from the old stables and Actor hooked up the hose.  Chief set to work scraping the one clothesline on both ends so that it was well frayed.  Casino dug a wide shallow trench below the Sgt./Major’s clothes.  Actor placed the end of the hose at one end of the trench and turned the water on.  Soon the trench was full of muddy water.  The dirt was loosely shoveled back in and then carefully sprayed with more water. The hose and tools were put away and the men returned to the common room the same way they had left it.</p><p>An hour later, the area under the line with the uniforms was still mud.  There had been sun and a very fine light breeze, so the clothes were dry.  The Sgt./Major had taken down the men’s clothes and folded them into a basket.  When he went to get his uniforms, he noticed the mud that had not been there when he had hung up the clothing.  Annoyed, he accurately assumed it was the cons, trying to get even by making him step in the mud.  Thinking he could outfox them, Collins took hold of a pair of trouser legs and pulled to get them closer so he could reach the pins.  The line snapped on both ends, and the entire line of clothes fell into the mud.</p><p>Angrily, Collins took the clean clothes into the laundry room and dumped them on the table to be ironed.  He took the empty basket and went back to retrieve his uniforms, not even taking them off the line.  He stormed into Garrison’s office with the basket and stood sputtering in front of the Lieutenant.</p><p>“This is too much,” he complained loudly.  “Look wot they’ve done to me uniforms, Leftenant!”</p><p>Garrison took in the mud and the agitation on the Englishman’s face.  Oh, yes, it was the work of his men.  Craig went to the bottom of the stairs.</p><p>“Casino, Actor, Goniff, Chief!  In my office now!’</p><p>Upstairs the four men exchanged grins.  It must have worked.  They followed Actor down the stairs to the office and stood looking innocently at the Sgt./Major and the basket of filthy uniforms.</p><p>“Wot happened, mate?” asked Goniff.</p><p>“Suppose you tell us,” said Garrison, arms crossed in front of him.</p><p>“What?  That?”  Casino pointed at the basket.  “How would we know?  We were upstairs playin’ cards.”</p><p>“It ‘ad to be you,” insisted Collins.</p><p>“Did you see us go past or hear the bars?” Chief asked Garrison.</p><p>He had to admit he had not seen nor heard them leave, but he was certain they were behind this.</p><p>“’Ere now,” said Goniff, gingerly picking up one end of the line.  “See, it’s frayed.”</p><p>“Hey, that’s not our fault,” said Chief.</p><p>“O’ course it’s your fault,” spouted Collins.  “It ‘asn’t rained in three days and the ground was dry when I hung up the clothes.  Now there’s a mud puddle under the clothesline wot wasn’t there before.”</p><p>Actor smiled sympathetically at the man.  “You seem to be attracted to mud,” he said.</p><p>Garrison sat down at his desk and rubbed his forehead above his eyebrows with thumb and middle finger.  He didn’t know whether to throw them all in the stockade or laugh.  He looked up instead.</p><p>“Tomorrow, you will restring the entire clothes line,” he ordered.</p><p>“Sure, Warden.  No problem, Babe.  Unless we get a mission between now and then.”  Casino smiled amiably.</p><p>The cons went back upstairs, smiling broadly.  The Sgt./Major went back to the utility room and washed his uniforms yet again before the mud stained them too much.  It was too late now to hang them outside, so he left them until morning.</p><p>GGG</p><p>After supper, which consisted of ‘rations’, the men went back upstairs.  Casino told the other three he would be back in a little bit.  He had to go get something from the Doves.  They let him go but did not follow.  Actor assumed if they were all found missing after the afternoon’s shenanigans, the Lieutenant would be very angry.</p><p>An hour later, Casino reappears through the broken bars in the window.  He was carefully hugging something large in his shirt.  </p><p>“Took yuh an hour to get done with Maggie?” asked Chief.</p><p>“Naw,” said Casino.  “It took her a half hour to get what I wanted from her flat.”</p><p>The safecracker opened his shirt and pulled out a glass canning jar partially full of a white opaque liquid.  With a smirk, he set in on the table.</p><p>“Okay, wot’s that?” asked Goniff.</p><p>“That, Gentlemen, is glue.”  Casino smirked even more if that was possible.  “Kinda looks like the starch Collins uses on his uniforms, doesn’t it.”</p><p>“Ah, but will it come out?” asked Actor.  Permanently destroying the non-com’s uniforms would surely get them sent to the stockade at the very least.</p><p>“Yeah, all he hasta do is wash ‘em again,” assured Casino.</p><p>“What about the Warden’s uniforms?” asked Chief, rolling a match between his teeth.</p><p>Goniff grinned.  “We’re safe.  “’E washed and ironed the Warden’s clothes this morning.  He did ‘is laundry first.  Not enough lines for everybody.  That’s why Terry always did two loads o’ drying.”</p><p>“So,” continued Casino.  “One of us sneaks downstairs around 3 o’clock in the morning and replaces half the starch in his bottle with the glue.  Same consistency almost and same color.  Then after he dries his clothes in the morning, we let him starch away.”</p><p>Late the next morning, being in a hurry to get done before he had to make lunch, the Sgt./Major sprayed all of his uniforms and piled them back in the basket,  The timing was perfect, as the Lieutenant unknowingly became an accomplice, and called for Collins to type some papers up quickly.  This made the Sgt./Major wait until after lunch to do his ironing.</p><p>“Leftenant Garrison!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Garrison was gathering his papers and putting them in his briefcase when the Sgt./Major yelled for him.  Screamed was more like it.  Now what, thought Craig.  He didn’t have time for this.  He had to be in Major Richards’ office in two hours.  Briefcase in hand he made it to the door and was putting on his Ike jacket when Collins ran up with a laundry basket of uniforms.  Not again, groaned Craig inwardly.</p><p>“What now, Sgt./Major?” he asked, shrugging into his jacket and taking his hat from the top of the coat tree.</p><p>“Leftenant, I don’t know what they did, but me clothes are all stuck together.”  The man was beside himself.</p><p>“All of you down here now!” shouted the Lieutenant.</p><p>This explained why the men had been staying in the upstairs common room.  Not moving too swiftly, the cons appeared at the top of the stairs.</p><p>“Yes, Lieutenant?” asked Actor innocently.  The man had not been innocent a day in his life.</p><p>Garrison pointed at the uniforms.  “Explain this, two words or less, immediately!”</p><p>There was dead silence.</p><p>“Uh – glue,” said Goniff nervously.</p><p>Craig wasn’t sure he had heard correctly.  “Glue?”</p><p>Goniff nodded.  “Glue.”</p><p>“You ruined all me ruddy uniforms?” wailed Collins.</p><p>Garrison was about to explode.  Casino decided he better diffuse the situation.</p><p>“They ain’t ruined,” said the cracksman.  “Just wash ‘em again and they’ll be fine.”</p><p>“Well you gentlemen had better get at it right now.  If those uniforms aren’t salvaged by the time I get back, you four will be spending time in the stockade.  You hear me?”</p><p>“Loud and clear, Warden,” replied Casino.</p><p>“Where you goin’, Warden?” asked Chief.</p><p>“I have an appointment with Major Richards, for briefing.  We have a mission.”</p><p>Mission and stockade did not go together.  “Not tonight I assume,” said Actor.</p><p>“Tomorrow night.”  Craig put his hat on his head, picked up his briefcase and opened the door.  He nodded toward the laundry basket.  “Get at it.”</p><p>GGG</p><p>It was well after dark by the time Garrison returned.  He had driven slowly, despite the discomfort of the briefcase cuffed to his wrist.  He wanted some quiet time away from the bickering and shouting and the pranks of the men.  He did not blame them, but he could not condone their actions either.  As he parked the Packard by the steps of the Mansion, he wondered if the cons were there or at the Doves.  The jeep was still in the car park, so they had not ventured into Brandonshire and the Fox.  </p><p>He got out and trotted up the steps to let himself into a dark common room.  He didn’t need light to see the way to his office, so he walked in, shut the door, and flipped that light on.  The smell of tobacco smoke kept the figure lounged on his couch from startling him.  </p><p>“Satisfactory trip?” asked Actor.</p><p>“I guess you could say that.”  Garrison went to his desk drawer, removed the key and uncuffed the briefcase from his wrist.  Making no effort to hide his actions, he rubbed his wrist as he returned to his coat tree.  His hat went on top and he shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it from one of the hooks.</p><p>“The uniforms have been taken care of,” said Actor, not making any move to get up.  “No damage was done, except to the Sgt./Major’s peace of mind.”  His eyes followed the Lieutenant back to the man’s desk.  “Where to this time?” he asked.</p><p>“Italy.”  Garrison opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle and two glasses.  “You want to pour?” he asked, reaching for the phone.</p><p>Actor got up, clamped the pipe in his teeth and poured two double shots from the half empty bottle of bourbon.  He took a seat in the chair and silently toasted Garrison before taking a sip.</p><p>Craig listened to the background noise of the pub.  </p><p>“Blue Fox.”</p><p>“Any idea where my sister is?” asked Craig.</p><p>“Standing right next to me,” said Kit.  </p><p>The phone was handed to the girl. “You rang, Brother?”</p><p>“We have a mission.”</p><p>“Now?” asked the girl with dread.</p><p>“No, tomorrow night.”</p><p>Terry sighed.  “Black dress is there, green dress is here.  Which one you want?”</p><p>“Neither,” replied Craig.  “Rough.  Not that kind of mission.  I don’t know why Major Richards insisted you had to go.”</p><p>He could almost see his sister frowning.</p><p>“I know you can’t tell me where on the phone right now.”</p><p>“Emilio.”</p><p>“Ahhh,” said the girl as understanding dawned.  “That’s all right.  I know why.  Okay.  I’ll see you in the morning.  You need me to bring anything?” she asked.</p><p>“Bourbon would be nice.”  He looked questioningly at Actor.”</p><p>“Courvoisier if she has any,” the Italian replied.</p><p>“Was that Actor?” asked Terry, trying to hear over the din of the bar.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Courvoisier?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>I’ll bring it.”  She paused and answered a question from a patron.  “Listen, I gotta go.  I’ll see you tomorrow.  Give Actor a kiss for me.”</p><p>“Not likely,” objected Craig.  “I’ll tell him you sent one.”  </p><p>He heard Terry’s laugh as she hung up.  Actor was watching him with raised eyebrows.</p><p>“She sends a kiss,” said Garrison.<br/>The con man laughed.  “I doubt that is exactly the way she said it.”  At the grin and shaking of the lieutenant’s head, Actor added, “That’s okay, Warden.  You are very nice and almost as good looking as I am, but you are not my type.”</p><p>“That makes me feel so relieved, Actor,” said Garrison with a touch of friendly sarcasm.  He leaned back and took a sip from his glass.  “So, when is this business with Collins going to stop?”</p><p>“He stops, we will stop,” said the Italian.  “We will not hurt him and hopefully do nothing that will get you into trouble.”  He blew a smoke ring with his pipe smoke.  “Still no word on when he will be leaving?”</p><p>“None,” said Garrison.  “It takes the Brass awhile to admit when one of their ideas doesn’t work.  I ran into Randy at G-2.  He said he’s having the same problem.”  Garrison smiled.  “Only Carter doesn’t give their British non-com the problems you do.”</p><p>“Carter is not experienced,” scoffed Actor.</p><p>“I hate to tell you this, but Carter’s good,” said Garrison, enjoying playing games with his second’s ego.  “Ask Terry.  She worked well with him.”</p><p>Actor seemed unfazed.  “Teresa can work well with anyone, except Collins.”</p><p>“Well, we’ll see how she does working with Frazini’s group.”  Craig frowned.  “Guess she has worked with him before.”</p><p>“We shall see,” said Actor, taking another sip of bourbon.</p><p>GGG</p><p>Terry arrived at the Mansion a little after lunch.  Garrison looked disgustedly at her from his office.</p><p>“Did you brief yet,” asked the girl, ignoring the look.</p><p>“No,” he replied.  “I was waiting for you to show up.”</p><p>“That was nice of you,” she baited him.  “You want to brief now or after I cook supper and we eat?”</p><p>The Sgt./Major’s head peered around the door from his seat at the conference table.  “You are going to cook supper?  Why?”</p><p>“Yes, I’m going to cook supper,” said Terry firmly.  “We may not get much to eat for several days.  I want them to have a good meal before we leave.  By the way, do you have any extra cases of rations hid somewhere?”</p><p>“I have ration boxes,” he answered, wondering why she wanted to know.</p><p>Garrison was curious too.  “What do you want with ration cases?”</p><p>“Think we can get a couple extra parachutes?” Terry asked.  “Emilio could use the food.  I think he’s running about 200 men in a couple different groups.  They aren’t too keen on Spam and pork and beans, but I think about now they would welcome something other than bread and cheese.  And the cigarettes and chocolate make good bargaining tools.” </p><p>“You can’t give army supplies to civilians,” objected Collins.</p><p>Did the man never quit?  “As a matter of fact, I can.  I can also give them money, guns, ammunition and explosives.  And I have before.”  She stepped up to the door and glared at him.  “Any other objections?”</p><p>“Settle down,” warned Craig.</p><p>Terry gave something that sounded like an unlady-like snort, turned and strode to the kitchen to see if there was any meat that hadn’t disappeared.  The cons exchanged looks.</p><p>“She’s gonna kill him, one of these days,” said Casino in a low voice.</p><p>“I’ll help,” said Chief, brandishing one of the blades he was cleaning and oiling.</p><p>“Goniff.”</p><p>The blond pickpocket looked at Actor.  The con man motioned for him to go to the kitchen with Terry.  The gamin Limey had a way of making the girl laugh that the military Limey did not have.  Goniff nodded and followed Terry.</p><p>The girl was just closing the freezer door when he entered.  She placed a wrapped bundle on the table and untied the string around it.  Goniff peered over her shoulder to see what it was.  A while back, Terry had diced up some ham and packaged it up for later use.  Now would be the later use.  It was salty and would make them thirsty, but they would probably need the salt.  </p><p>“Wot you gonna make with that?” he asked.</p><p>“Potato soup?” she questioned to see his reaction.</p><p>“Thick?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“Wot can I do?” he asked with a grin.</p><p>Terry liked to tease him too.  “Craig says you’re really good at peeling potatoes . . ..”</p><p>“Aw ‘ere now,” he groaned.  “You know I ‘ate to peel potatoes.”</p><p>Terry laughed.  “How about you go out to the garden and see what you can find?  Carrots, onion, peas or beans, whatever sounds good to you.  I’ll peel the potatoes.”</p><p>GGG</p><p>After supper, which even the Sgt./Major had to admit to himself was good and filling, Garrison took the men and his sister into his office.  He spread a map out on the table.</p><p>“We are parachuting into this area.”  He pointed a finger at a place north of Bologna.  “We’ve been here before.  Allied Command wants us to work with Frazini’s group, teach them what they don’t know and work on our own besides.  The Allies are planning a push from the south.  They want us to create as much mayhem and destruction in the north as we can to draw the German and Italian troops in that direction.  Besides working on the ground, the British and American air forces will be increasing their bombing raids, mainly from Milan north and east.  Our job is to blow up bridges, supply lines, train lines, and anything else that strikes our fancy.”</p><p>Craig looked at his sister.  “You say Frazini has about 200 men now?”</p><p>“Probably more than that,” said Terry.  She decided telling her brother was no longer a breach of clearance.  “I’ve been going in every little bit with supplies; food, ammo, radios, guns.  I started out learning the ropes with Emilio.  Then he put me with one of his lieutenants, Il Lupo.   I spent three weeks with them.  I know where his bases are in Italy and Austria.  He moves around a lot.  Sometimes Frazini can’t find him.”</p><p>“Il Lupo?” asked Actor.  “I believe I have read intelligence from him.”</p><p>“Possibly a little, but I’m usually given the intelligence on his group.  You see there are two Il Lupos, one on each side of northern Italy.  The one to the west gets blamed for a lot of the stuff the one to the east does.  The east one I was with doesn’t have too much of an ego problem.  He would rather the other Il Lupo took the blame for what his group does.  It keeps the Germans from going after him.  Most of the partisan groups to the north don’t get along with each other.  That might be a problem for us, but if we stick with Emilio’s troops it should be all right.”</p><p>Until now, Garrison had not known about his sister’s little forays with the partisans.  “So, you think Major Richards is sending you in with us because you know this Il Lupo?”</p><p>“Maybe in part,” replied the girl.  “I have become pretty familiar with Lago di Garda up into the Dolomiti.  That could be a reason too.”</p><p>“So how long we gonna be gone this time, Warden?” asked Chief.</p><p>“Only a week,” replied Garrison.  “The real push starts a couple days after that.  Allied Command is hoping between the increase in ground attacks and the air strikes, the Germans will think the push is going to be from the north.”</p><p>It was Casino’s turn.  “So wadda we do for explosives?”</p><p>Terry answered before Craig could even begin.  “I don’t know how much Frazini has left after the last batch I brought in.  There was dynamite, grenades, fuses, detonators, and plastique.”</p><p>“You have been bringing all that into Italy?” asked Garrison in surprise.</p><p>“Italy and France,” replied the girl off-handedly.</p><p>“That ain’t a girl’s job,” objected Casino.</p><p>Terry gave him a hard look.   “And why isn’t it?  Would you expect a woman to be doing it?”</p><p>“You have a point there, Teresa,” said Actor, wondering why it bothered him as much as it seemed to be bothering the Warden.</p><p>“Okay,” said Garrison, “get your gear together and meet at the car.  We’re going out of Archbury.”</p><p>As they all got up to leave, the phone rang.  Garrison answered it and called out to his sister.  The men stopped and watched the girl move back to the desk.</p><p>“Yes, Sir,” said Garrison.  “I understand, Sir.  Here’s Terry.”  He handed the phone to her.</p><p>“Major Richards?” she asked puzzled.  She listened.  “Yes, I know where that is . . .. I should have another couple cases of rations from here, I hope. . .. Have you ever eaten that stuff?  It’s awful. . ..”  She listened for a minute and laughed.  “Obviously not for another week.  Make me a list and I’ll take care of that when I get back. . .. Him too?  What do I look like, your own personal delivery service?”  Something was said and the girl laughed again.  “As soon as I get back.  Make me a couple lists.  I’ll see you when we get back.”  She hung up.</p><p>“And what was all that?” asked Garrison, arms crossed in front of him.</p><p>“Top secret,” said Terry.  “You don’t have enough clearance.”  She pushed through the cluster of cons and bounced up the stairs.</p><p>GGG</p><p>A half hour later, a troop truck was packed with the men and woman, their gear, and three cases of rations. They headed for Archbury, leaving behind a disgruntled Collins standing in the car park.  He had grumbled the entire time he had loaded the truck with his precious rations.</p><p>“Warden, you did not say,” broached Actor.  “I trust Major Richards had a change in plans?”</p><p>“Yeah,” answered Garrison.  “We’re not jumping.  We’re being flown to Cairo and from there we’ll go in with a plane and land at a strip that is supposed to be hidden in the foothills.  Besides us there will be supplies.  Casino, there will be some nitro in case you need it for anything.”</p><p>“We’re landing on that strip at night with nitro onboard?” asked Terry in disbelief.</p><p>“So says Maj. Richards,” replied Craig.  He wasn’t too keen on that himself.</p><p>“Well,” said Casino sarcastically.  “At least if we get shot down, we’ll go out with a bang.”</p><p>“Oh, funny, Mate, really funny.”</p><p>Terry thought of something and looked at her brother.  “Hey Craig?  How long will we be in Cairo?”</p><p>“We’ll leave tomorrow night,” said Garrison.</p><p>“Do we have time to . . .?”</p><p>Garrison leaned forward toward the steering wheel and shot a look at his second.  “Actor, would you take her to see those darned pyramids?  Then maybe we won’t have to listen to it.”</p><p>Terry smiled pleadingly at the Italian.  He gave an overdone put-upon sigh.  </p><p>“Yes, Warden, I will take her to see the pyramids and perhaps a camel.”  Actor leaned forward and looked around Terry.  “And Warden, rest assured, you will owe me for this.”</p><p>“I have no doubt of that.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The air strip where they landed was on the outskirts of Cairo, and within sight of the pyramids.  Terry was ecstatic.  Her brother was not and whatever Actor felt about it remained hidden.  The cases of rations were transferred to another plane and the group was taken to the officers’ barracks and given their own temporary quarters.  </p><p>None of the other three cons were interested in seeing pyramids or camels.  Garrison had seen it all when he had been stationed in North Africa before.  Camels were smelly and had nasty dispositions.  One tour of the pyramids was enough, but he did arrange a car for Actor and Terry to use.  Terry was smiling when they left to go to the car.  Actor, behind her, fixed Garrison with a disgruntled stare on the way out.  Craig gave an overly wide smile in return.</p><p>As Actor drove off the base, Terry glanced at him.  “Thank you for doing this,” she said.</p><p>“You’re welcome.”  She couldn’t help it if she was enthusiastic about seeing something she would never see in Montana, or Europe for that matter.  Plus, he had her alone now and could broach something that had been on his mind.  “Tell me, cara, how are your finances doing?  I know you bought half interest in the Blue Fox and you are sending money home, besides using your own money to buy food for us.”</p><p>Terry answered while her eyes were trained on a camel caravan in the distance.  “I’m doing well.  The Brandonshire account is what I use for most everything to keep it within a reasonable amount.  It doesn’t get the interest that the London account does, so most everything I get goes into the London account.”</p><p>“So about how much do you have in London?” he asked.</p><p>She gave him a rough estimate, turning her attention back to him.  “That’s obscene.  I’m used to dealing with large sums with the ranch business, but to have that much in a personal account is unbelievable.”</p><p>Unbelievable?  If she ever found out how much money he had in his Swiss, English, New York and Grand Cayman accounts she would probably pass out.  “I think it is time then for you to branch out.”</p><p>“Branch out how?” she asked.  “You have something else for me to invest in?”</p><p>“I am thinking, the next time we go to Switzerland, you must come with us.  I will get you set up with an account at one of the banks I deal with.”</p><p>Terry stared at him.  “A Swiss account?  You want to set me up with a Swiss account?  One of the banks you deal with?  How many accounts do you have there?”</p><p>Actor turned his head to give her a look out of the tops of his eyes.</p><p>“Never mind,” she added quickly.  “None of my business and I probably don’t want to know.”</p><p>“Three.  They are numbered accounts and you don’t want to know, nor am I going to tell you how much is in them.”</p><p>“A Swiss account,” mused Terry in wonder.</p><p>“To start with,” said Actor.  “It depends on how long this war lasts and how much of a take you get over the years.  We may be able to set up a second one at some point.”  He glanced at her.  “What about the jewels you get?  Is Goniff fencing them for you?”</p><p>“Yes,” Terry replied.  “But I have a few pieces I like in a safe deposit box in Brandonshire and a couple in a safe place in the Mansion Goniff doesn’t know about.”  The Limey was a likeable fellow, but, as Craig had told her, he would cheerfully sell his grandmother’s gold teeth if he could get his hands on them.</p><p>Actor had to smile to himself.  The young woman was still at a point somewhere in between being a ranch girl and a sophisticate. </p><p>GGG</p><p>It was early afternoon when Actor and Terry returned to the base.  Garrison was still awake, but the other three men were sleeping on cots.  The con man grinned at the Lieutenant behind the girl’s back as they entered the quarters.</p><p>“Have fun?” Craig asked his sister.</p><p>“Yes, but it sure is hot,” replied Terry.</p><p>“I’m going to take a nap,” said Actor and left the two Garrisons together.</p><p>Terry moved closer to her brother.  “You didn’t tell me those darned camels stink.”</p><p>“I thought I’d let you find that out for yourself.”</p><p>“Got to ride one though,” said Terry.  She looked quizzically at him.  “Just how many languages does that man speak?”</p><p>“He knows a little Arabic.  One of the few languages he isn’t fluent in,” said Garrison.  “Go take a nap.  It’s the only thing you can do here in the afternoon in this heat.”</p><p>GGG</p><p>The dark of night found them trying not to show how nervous they were at the thought of a rough landing with nitro on board.  The flight up was uneventful.  They skimmed the waters close to Yugoslavia, then turned in over land between Venice and Trieste, banked southwest, and headed for the airstrip.  The partisans had made the strip by hand and it was covered with lots of camouflage when not being used.  Tonight, that had been moved away and, at the sound of the plane engines at the appropriate time, signal fires were lit. </p><p>Even Casino was gripping the arms of his seat as the rear wheels touched down, bounced up and hit crookedly on the second touch.  Everyone gave a sigh of relief when the plane quit moving.  They moved quickly out of the plane.  Frazini’s men were already removing boxes from the tail of the plane and putting them on carts and one rickety small truck.</p><p>The short cheerful man approached the group and shook Garrison’s hand.  He spotted the girl and spoke in machinegun rapid Italian whispers to her that she returned, and they exchanged the kiss on each cheek that was Italian custom.</p><p>“Come,” he said quietly. “I am afraid our accommodations are not comfortable, but we move on a daily basis.”</p><p>“We’re used to that,” said Garrison.</p><p>They moved single-file through the woods for close to a mile before reaching the camp.  Lean-tos and makeshift tents were scattered around a clearing.  Emilio led them over to a table made of planks.  Garrison watched the supplies being spirited into the woods. The truck had disappeared from the airstrip to parts unknown to Garrison. </p><p>“I am sorry for the poor quarters,” apologized Frazini again.  “Tomorrow we will move to a better camp.  For tonight I am afraid you will have to sleep on the ground.”</p><p>“We’ve done that more than once,” assured Garrison.</p><p>Terry glanced around.  Men were sleeping in the thrown together structures and in the open.  Nobody made a move to approach them.  That was a good thing.  Garrison’s group divided up and were given two lean-tos.  The girl barely motioned with her head for Emilio to step aside and she joined him.</p><p>“I’m Teresa or Terry to this group,” whispered Terry.  “They don’t know me by any other name and I would like to keep it that way.  Can you get word passed to your people not to call me by my nickname?”</p><p>Frazini nodded.  “I don’t know if we can keep everyone from calling you by your name here.  But we will try.”</p><p>“Grazie mille,” said the girl.</p><p>“Why did they send you with Garrison?” asked Emilio.</p><p>Terry shook her head.  “Non capisco.  I know the area, I know your people, and I know Il Lupo.”</p><p>“For what good that is going to do you,” said the Italian.  “He has gone into hiding again.”</p><p>“Austria?”</p><p>“I don’t know.  You know he rarely tells me where he is going.”</p><p>“Well, maybe we won’t need to go up into the Dolomiti.”</p><p>Frazini saw Garrison watching them.  “We will talk more in the morning,” he said to the girl.</p><p>She nodded and turned away to go back to her group. </p><p>“What was that about?” asked Garrison in a low voice.</p><p>“My other business,” said Terry firmly.  “Nothing to concern you, Brother.”</p><p>“Everything concerns me,” he reminded her.</p><p>Terry shook her head and walked away.  In another unusual move, she crawled into one of the lean-tos, climbed over Actor, and curled up with her back against his. </p><p>“Is something wrong?” murmured the con man.</p><p>“Not yet.  And I want to keep it that way.”  She hitched a shoulder off a stone.  “How did you get the private accommodations?”</p><p>“Chief went into the woods to watch.”  </p><p>“He’ll probably stay there all night,” remarked Terry.  “I don’t know what Craig will do.  He can’t stay awake for a week.”</p><p>“He will figure something out,” said Actor.  “Go to sleep.”</p><p>An hour later, Garrison climbed over both Actor and his sister and lay down beside Terry.</p><p>“I don’t like not knowing about what you are mixed up in,” he whispered to the girl.</p><p>“It goes both ways,” she whispered back.  “Go to sleep.  You’re keeping Actor awake.”</p><p>“I do not wish to be in the middle of your family quarrel,” murmured the con man grumpily.  “Both of you go to sleep.”</p><p>Terry barely choked down a laugh and Garrison shook his head.</p><p>The next morning found them taking down camp after a cold breakfast of bread.  To keep her brother’s curiosity at bay, Terry avoided Frazini and his men, staying instead by Casino and Goniff.  Garrison and Actor stayed close to the partisan leader.  The Italians split into smaller groups of five or six and scattered into the woods, each taking a different route.  </p><p>“I wonder how far we gotta walk this time,” grumbled Casino.</p><p>“About five miles,” said Terry.</p><p>The safecracker and the pickpocket turned their heads to look at her.</p><p>“’Ow do you know?” asked Goniff.</p><p>“I’ve been working with them since you guys got Frazini away from the Jerries,” she said.</p><p>“What?  With Lt. Johnson?”  Casino looked at her curiously.</p><p>“No,” she replied, eyes scanning the woods around them.  “I’m their Allied contact.”</p><p>Casino chuckled.   “Bet that don’t make the Warden happy.”</p><p>Terry made a sour face.  “Why do you think I’m back here with you two?”</p><p>“Awww, and ‘ere I thought it was ‘cause you like us.”</p><p>“I do like you, Goniff.  And sometimes I even like Casino,” she teased.</p><p>That got a snort from the safecracker.</p><p>Their voices were kept low as they walked along at a steady pace that slowed the steeper the slopes became.  They moved through thick groves of chestnut trees.  Terry explained why the bread had tasted ‘funny’ to Casino and Goniff.  It was made with flour from ground chestnuts.  The trees thinned out in spots and soon they were skirting around open areas of grasses.</p><p>“This is startin’ to look familiar,” grumbled the safecracker.</p><p>“I thought you guys were in the Apennines the last time?” whispered Terry.</p><p>“Yeah, but we came through this stuff when we was walkin’ outta Yugoslavia.”</p><p>“That was steeper, Mate,” added Goniff. </p><p>“It’s going to get steeper,” warned Terry.</p><p>“So, what is this place we’re goin’ to?” asked Casino.</p><p>Terry grinned.  “I’d call it early shabby French chateau.”  At the frowns of the two men, she continued.  “It must have belonged to some really rich guy as a massive hunting lodge, at least compared to the ones we’ve stayed in before.  It was abandoned long enough ago that the trees have grown right up to it.  If you don’t know it’s there, you don’t see it.”</p><p>“So how come Frazini don’t stay there all the time?” asked Goniff.</p><p>Casino gave him a look of bare tolerance.  “You know the drill.  We don’t stay in one place very long in case somebody does find it.”</p><p>“It’s in a good location,” whispered Terry.  “We’ll probably use it as a base for part of the week.”</p><p>They had hiked up into open grass and rocks and back down into trees and cliffs.  Finally, they followed a trail that went around a stand of bushes flanked by tall trees and found themselves in front of a cross between a French chateau and a German gingerbread house.  It was two stories tall with rotten wooden balconies in front of French doors and looked as though no one had used it in many years.  The house was backed up to a rocky escarpment that would, and did, hold great places to watch from.  Bypassing the front of the house, Frazini led Garrison and Actor around to the back.  Terry followed, leading the other two men.  She had no idea where Chief was, but figured he wasn’t far away; just watching.</p><p>A back door led them into a hallway with a kitchen on the left, large dining room on the right, and a huge open lounge that crossed the front of the house.  Stairs led from the lounge to the second floor where presumably the bedrooms were.  The furnishings were an eclectic mix of antique Italian and German carved chairs and sofas.  Rooms that at one time held a library and an office opened off the lounge.  Now they held boxes of supplies.    It was definitely a step up from the hunting lodges Garrison and his men had frequented in the past and more like a mile up from the previous night’s accommodations.</p><p>“Very nice,” said Actor.</p><p>“And the Germans don’t know it’s here?” asked Craig, just to be certain.</p><p>Frazini smiled.  “There was only one German who knew the house was here because it was his, but he will not be telling anyone.  He has been dead for a long time.”  The short Italian turned to Casino, the group’s demolitions expert.  “The munitions are in a hut further into the woods.  He motioned to the east.</p><p>“How many are coming here?” asked Terry.</p><p>Frazini looked at her.  “There is your group, six of my men from the other groups, and four on watch.”</p><p>That made sixteen mouths to feed.  Terry glanced toward the way they had come in.  “Kitchen still stocked?”</p><p>The Italian nodded.  “Speck, cheese, some sausage, root vegetables . . .”</p><p>“Guess I’ll go start lunch,” said the girl resignedly.  She headed down the hall.</p><p>“What about the ration boxes we brought?” asked Casino, hoping they had been dumped off a cliff somewhere.</p><p>“We try not to resort to eating them,” said Frazini with a grimace.  “We mainly use them for bargaining with farmers and charcoal makers.”  He turned to Garrison.  “There are two large rooms upstairs with cots.  My men will use one and you will have the other.”</p><p>“What about uniforms?” asked Garrison.</p><p>The partisan leader smiled and looked between Garrison and the even taller confidence man.  “We have made sure to get German and Italian uniforms that will fit you both.”</p><p>Lunch was set up like a soup kitchen so the men could come and go as they needed to.  There was a stockpot on the wood stove with a soup made of finely diced vegetables that had been sautéed first, just enough diced speck to give it a decent flavor, and spices for more flavor.  There would be no sit down dinner.  Terry would continue to add to the pot as needed to keep it full.</p><p>Garrison, Actor and Frazini had bowls of soup in the big room with the planning table.  Maps were laid out and the confidence man pulled a small notepad and a pen from the inner pocket of his jacket.</p><p>“There are multiple targets within a five to twenty mile radius from here.  We can stay here for three, maybe four, days before we have to move again,’ said Frazini.</p><p>“What kind of targets are we looking at?” asked Garrison.</p><p>The Italian gave a shrug.  “There were two main railroad tracks that carry troops, supplies, and prisoners.  The Germans have stepped up their movement of prisoners to Germany for labor in their munitions factories and to build more war machines.  There are two, umm,” he reached for the English word.  He looked at Actor.  “Come si dice trespolo?”</p><p>“Trestle,” translated Actor.</p><p>“Sì.  And there is an ammunition supply post.”  He looked around with a frown.  “Where is Tri-sa?” he asked.</p><p>He had covered his mistake well he thought.  And indeed Garrison had not caught the slip.  Actor, however, had and it gave him pause to wonder what the girl was called other than her given name.</p><p>“What do you need Terry for?” asked Garrison.</p><p>“She knows more about the ammunition post than I do.  She blew it up the last time.”</p><p>The two men stared at Frazini.</p><p>“Teresa blew up an ammunition dump?” asked Actor in disbelief.</p><p>The shorter Italian nodded.  “Sì.  She destroyed it, but the stupidi tedeschi rebuilt it in the same place.  She can tell you how she did it.”</p><p>The lieutenant and the con man exchanged looks.</p><p>“I will get her,” said Actor.  </p><p>The tall Italian went into the kitchen and stood looking at the girl at the stove with his thumbs hooked in his pockets and a deceptive smile on his face.  “Teresa, Frazini would like your presence.  He seems to think you can tell us how you blew up an ammunition dump.  He would like to do it again.”</p><p>Crap.  Terry turned toward Actor with a smile that faded.  The unamused expression on his face immediately killed the notion of a con.  She had been afraid it would be impossible to sit meekly on the sidelines.  Craig would eventually find out the details of what she had been doing.  He wasn’t going to be happy and obviously neither was Actor.  She wiped her hands on a towel and pushed past the man and walked to the planning room.</p><p>“Grazie mille, Emilio,” she said disgustedly.</p><p>“Why are you not in this,” Frazini asked in Italian.</p><p>“Because I don’t do the planning in their group and they did not know I was working with explosives here,” she shot back in the same language.</p><p>“We know now,” said Actor sarcastically in English.</p><p>Emilio cocked his head and gave a shrug.  “Mi dispiace, Teresa.”  There, at least he had said her name correctly.</p><p>“Ummm,” replied the girl in disgust.  She walked around the table and crowded her brother out of the way so she could see the map.  To Frazini she asked, “Did they rebuild it in the same place and the same way?”</p><p>“Yes, but they have increased the guards and electrified the perimeter.”</p><p>“Naturalmente.  Do you still have the map I made of the place?”</p><p>Frazini shook his head.  “No.  We burned it in case the German’s found us.”</p><p>“Paper?”</p><p>“Certo.”  </p><p>He went to a cabinet and came back with a pad of paper and a pencil.  Terry set it on top of the map and quickly sketched in the layout of the place with notes on electric wire and security.  Garrison and Actor exchanged glances over her back.  They knew she was gaining ability and experience, but not to the extent that she obviously had now.  She straightened and gave the drawing a once over.</p><p>“Casino!” she called.</p><p>“Yeah, Babe.”</p><p>“Come here.  I need your input.”</p><p>None of the three at the table thought she needed any input.  The safecracker wandered up and glanced at the hand-drawn map. </p><p>“So whacha got?”</p><p>“An ammo dump,” said Garrison.</p><p>Casino grinned.  “You want I should blow it up.”  It was more a statement than a question and it obviously pleased the man.</p><p>“Yes.”  Garrison was still not happy.</p><p>Their demolitions man picked up the drawing and studied it.  </p><p>“Last time, the perimeter fence was not electric.  I cut a hole in it while the guards were changing and set dynamite on timers by the gas cans, the underside of a tanker truck, and the back wall of the armory building.”  </p><p>Casino looked at her in surprise.  “You did it?”</p><p>“Well, somebody had to,” she shot back at him.</p><p>“How’d you get out?” he asked, still studying the layout.</p><p>“I had a little hidy-hole and I waited for hell to break loose and went back out the same way I came in.  It don’t think that’s going to work this time.”</p><p>“Yeah, we’ll need another way in.”</p><p>Actor smiled.  “Perhaps they should have a surprise SS inspection of their security system since they have been blown up once already.”</p><p>Garrison now grinned.  “And of course our people wanted to show them how weak their set up is by knocking out the alarms, the lights and the electricity to the fence.  Then you can get in the same way she did.”</p><p>“Chief oughta like that,” grinned Casino.</p><p>Terry turned to the safecracker.  “Give Emilio a list of what you need and he’ll get it for you.”</p><p>“Too bad your brother ain’t here,” remarked the safecracker.  “He’s good with timers.”  He caught Terry’s look of exasperation and refrained for checking the lieutenant’s expression.  “Then again, maybe not.” </p><p>Garrison chose to ignore them both.  He studied the big map with a contemplative expression.  “Emilio, this is to the west.  Is there anything we can target at the same time to the east and the south?”</p><p>“Oh, yes,” said the man emphatically.  “There are several train lines.  One carries supplies and the other carries prisoners to Germany.  We would like to take out all the lines.”</p><p>Terry glanced at the safecracker and took in the wide grin on his face.  “You can’t be in three places at once, Casino.”</p><p>“No,” said Emilio quickly, “but he can teach my people how to blow up the tracks.”</p><p>“Yeah, I can do that,” agreed the cracksman.</p><p>Frazini continued, catching the man’s enthusiasm.  “In three days, the German payroll is transported to Milano by truck.  We would like to get that money.”</p><p>Now Actor grinned.  “We are becoming quite adept at highjacking.”</p><p>“So, where do you want me, Craig?” asked Terry. </p><p>“Nowhere,” he replied strongly.</p><p>“It’s a little late for that,” said the girl.  She grinned wickedly.  “I do like blowing up train trestles.  It’s so much fun watching them come down in slow motion.”</p><p>Garrison favored his demolitions expert with an accusing look.  Casino shook his head.</p><p>“I didn’t teach her that, Warden,” he denied quickly.</p><p>“Scotland,” said Terry.</p><p>Garrison shook his head.  “Okay, let’s get this planned out.”</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Frazini’s men wandered in to get food, he took them into the main room and introduced them to Garrison and his men.  All the names were code names.  The partisans ignored the girl sitting by the window.  Nobody addressed her by any name.  That was not lost on Garrison, knowing now that she was quite involved with their group.  She ignored them also, except when they were in the kitchen alone and she smiled at them with a whispered “grazie.”</p><p>By late afternoon there was a good-sized group of roughly dressed men in the main room.  They had been chosen by the leaders of the sub-groups for training.  The men were divided out by their preference and went off with Goniff for pickpocketing, Chief for security and Casino for demolition.  Actor stayed with Frazini and Garrison.  Trying to teach someone how to con was not something that could be done in an afternoon or even a week.</p><p>Garrison, Actor and Frazini studied the map.  It was decided to blow up a smaller ammo dump to the north and a tank reserve to the south east that night.  Terry wandered over and glanced at the map.  Garrison looked at her sharply.  She ignored him.  The tanks were farther away than the ammo dump.</p><p>“Road blocks?” asked the girl.  “Faster if we could take a truck part way to the tanks.  The dump can be hiked to.”</p><p>Frazini pointed to a spot along the road that was only a couple miles from the tank reserve.  “It is clear to here,” he said.</p><p>Knowing how long it would take to get the small ammo dump on foot, Terry calculated times in her mind.  “If we hit them just right, we could take out both at the same time.  Give the Krauts something to think about.”</p><p>Frazini nodded.  “Can you get one group up to the dump?”</p><p>Terry nodded, “Non è una problema.”</p><p>Garrison looked at his sister.  “You’re going to the ammo dump?”</p><p>“Yes,” she replied.  “I know the way.  I know the way to the other place too, but I don’t know anything about tanks.”</p><p>Casino walked up just then.  “Tanks are easy.  They drive like tractors.  You oughta be able to do that, Babe.”</p><p>“We don’t want to drive them, Casino.  We want to blow them up,” said Garrison.</p><p>The safecracker/demolitions expert grinned broadly.  “My kinda caper.”</p><p>“So how do you want to do this, Warden?” asked Actor.</p><p>Garrison chewed on the inside of his cheek as he planned it out.  “You, Chief and Casino go take out those tanks with some of Emilio’s men.  If you wear a German uniform, you can con your way out if anything doesn’t go right.”</p><p>Actor nodded.  </p><p>Garrison looked at Terry.  “I suppose it won’t do any good to tell you not to go…”</p><p>Terry shrugged.  “Timing wouldn’t be as good.  But if you plan on being insistent about cutting me out, I can always take some of Emilio’s men and go hit a railroad track.  I know where all of them are too.”</p><p>“How did I know you were going to say that?” said Garrison in resignation.  He moved on.  “Can we hit both at 0100.?”</p><p>“Yes,” said Terry.  “Why?”</p><p>Craig smiled.  “RAF is making a bombing raid on Milan at 0100.”</p><p>Actor grinned.  “That should rattle a few cages at Kesselring’s headquarters.”</p><p>“Let us hope so,” said Frazini.</p><p>“Okay,” said Casino.  “Where’s this supply shed with the explosives?  I need to start makin’ bombs.”</p><p>About twenty minutes later, the safecracker returned with two of Frazini’s men.  They carried boxes of dynamite, wires, fuses, timers, pineapple grenades, clips and a few schmeissers.  Casino directed the boxes to be set around a chair at the table, so everything was within his reach.</p><p>“Hey, Warden, there’s a bazooka out there,” said Casino, obviously impressed.</p><p>Everybody turned to look at Frazini, who grinned back at them.  “Yes, we got that a few weeks ago.”</p><p>Garrison turned his eyes to his sister.  “I suppose you know how to use it.”</p><p>Terry gave him an incredulous look.  “Are you kidding?  I’ve never seen one.  They didn’t teach that in Scotland.”  She smiled sarcastically.  “You know how to use it?”</p><p>Craig shook his head.  “I’ve seen one, but I don’t know how to use it.”  He turned back to the partisan leader.  “Any of your people know how to use it?”</p><p>“One,” said Emilio, “but he isn’t here right now.  He is the one who brought it here.”</p><p>Terry stared at him.  “Il Lupo?”</p><p>“Sì.”</p><p>Terry shook her head.  “Is there anything that man doesn’t know how to do?”</p><p>“I do not think so,” chuckled Emilio.</p><p>With the explosives put together, except to arm them, and packed into cloth bags, Garrison’s men turned in early.  Sleeping on cots in the big main room upstairs was reminiscent of their first few months at the Mansion, with the big exception of the two Garrison’s sleeping in the same room with them.  At ten thirty, they got up after three and a half hours of sleep.  It would take an hour to get to the two locations and another fifteen minutes to get the bombs in place.  That would leave them another fifteen minutes to get clear.</p><p>Chief and Actor climbed into the front of a small supply truck while Casino got in the back with three of Frazini’s men and a couple bags of explosives.  It would take them longer to drive to where they had to hide the truck and then the same time to walk to the tank compound.  This gave the other group a fifteen minute wait before starting out.</p><p>Terry was sitting off to the side of the table where Goniff and three partisans were sitting.  Garrison ambled slowly over to his sister and stood looking down at her.  She eyed him warily.  </p><p>“Let’s go for a walk,” he suggested.</p><p>She rose and they went outside to sit on a downed log.  </p><p>Craig picked up a broken stick and toyed with it.  “So how did you get mixed up in all this?” he asked amicably.</p><p>Terry’s eyebrows rose and fell.  “Major Richards.  He wanted me to know more about the partisans and how they function.  So, he sent me to Emilio.  I spent a week here getting instructions and learning some of the lay of the land.  Men didn’t like a girl at first, but they were starting to accept me when I had to leave.  Major Richards wasn’t satisfied with what little I had been taught and talked to Frazini again.  Next thing I knew I was going back in for three weeks.  I was turned over to Il Lupo.  He wasn’t happy either, until he saw some of the things I’ve learned from our guys.  Emilio vouched for me so Lupo took me out with him.  I know all of his camps and hidey holes.  I learned hit and run from him and went on more than one raid.”  She looked at her brother.  “That big ammo dump?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“He was with me, but only as backup.  I planned it and executed it.”</p><p>“So, who is this Il Lupo?” asked Craig.</p><p>Terry grinned and gave a small laugh.  “He’s a ghost.”  At his raised eyebrows, she continued.  “He and his men hit and run, hit and run, but nobody really sees him.”  The grin widened in remembrance of him.  “He’s got balls bigger than Actor’s.”  At Craig’s questioning look, she added, “Figuratively you jerk.”</p><p>“Know the con?” asked Garrison, now curious.”</p><p>Terry frowned.  “Maybe a little.  I’ve seen him bluff his way around a road block.”</p><p>Garrison’s voice quieted even more.  “These men don’t know you by name.  So, what is your code name?”</p><p>Terry dropped her head and sucked in both cheeks.  “They are not calling me by my code name because you and the others are not to know what it is.  I not only use it for this group, but a couple others I go in with.”  She paused.  “I’m partially compromised now because these men know my real name now.  If they ever find out I am the daughter of a general, I’m screwed.  Some of them can be bought if enough money is shown.”</p><p>Garrison nodded.  He still would like to know her alias but wasn’t going to push the issue.  He understood about the safety problem and he worked with the same worry of someone finding out who his father was.</p><p>“So why do you think Major Richards sent you in with us?  We could probably have pulled this off without you.”</p><p>Terry shook her head.  “The only thing I can think of is Il Lupo.  Apparently, Kevin doesn’t know he isn’t here.”</p><p>“Why would we need him?” asked Craig drawing circles in the dirt with the end of the stick.</p><p>“My guess is the ammo dump,” said the girl.  “If I wasn’t along, you would have to take him, and he won’t work with you.  He doesn’t know you and he trusts no one.”</p><p>“Obviously he trusts you,” remarked her brother.</p><p>“It’s mutual,” said Terry.  She looked around.  “We might as well get started.  It’s an uphill walk for most of it.”</p><p>Garrison stood and tossed the stick aside, rubbing his doodling out with his foot.  Terry stayed on the log while he went inside to get the men and the explosives.</p><p>GGGGG</p><p>Chief was driving with Casino in the middle and Actor on the end.  Frazini’s men were in the back with the bag of explosives.  Chief was silent, as was Actor.  Casino was the one to start the conversation.</p><p>“This is gonna turn into a mess,” he remarked with a shake of his head.</p><p>“What?  Blowing up the tanks?”  Actor deliberately misinterpreted what the cracksman was saying.</p><p>“Naw.  This thing with Terry.”  Casino glanced at the tall man beside him.  “Warden ain’t happy.  Terry ain’t happy.  Wonder why Richards sent her with us?  Blows her cover.”</p><p>“I have no idea, Casino,” said Actor wearily.</p><p>“Yeah, well she tells you everything.”</p><p>Why did everyone think Teresa told him everything, thought the Italian irritably?  It was as bad as the Warden thinking he told her everything.  Well, he did tell her a lot, but not everything.</p><p>“The Lieutenant and I were aware of only two times she went in to Frazini,” said Actor. </p><p>“Yuh wanna know something else?” said Casino.</p><p>“No, but I am sure we will hear it,” replied Actor with disgust.</p><p>Casino ignored him.  “I think there’s something going on in the basement of the Fox.”  He looked at Actor almost accusingly.  “You hauled her out of there.  So, what’s down there.”</p><p>“Supplies.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure.  You’re covering for her, aren’t you?”</p><p>“Give it a rest,” said Chief just as disgusted.  “If Terry wanted us to know what she’s into, she woulda told us, so it’s none a’ your business.”</p><p>It got Casino off Actor and onto Chief.  “Just butt out, Indian.  I was talking to Actor.”  His fist came up and the con man grabbed it.</p><p>Chief sighed.  “You want me to pull over?  I’d beat your brains out, but you don’t have a lot to spare.”</p><p>“Yeah?  You and who else?” sneered the safecracker.</p><p>“Me,” said Actor firmly.  “And that would make us late.  Not only the Warden, but G-2 would be angry and neither one of us would cover for you on that one.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” said Casino in his usual way of giving up.  “Jeez you two are touchy.”</p><p>“Yeah,” agreed Chief.  “And if you don’t shut up, you’ll find out how touchy we are.”</p><p>Casino shook his head, but wisely kept quiet.  Chief was watching the mileage on the truck.</p><p>“How much farther?” asked Actor.</p><p>“’Nother mile.”</p><p>A short time later, the truck slowed and stopped in the road.  Chief carefully turned the truck halfway around and backed up a narrow, overgrown track.  This put them in the right direction for making a hasty getaway that was what they were expecting.  The engine was shut off and the three men in the front got out as the three Italians in the back did.</p><p>Casino climbed up on the back of the truck and carefully removed the bag with the bombs in it.  Chief led the way with two of the partisans behind him, followed by Casino and the last partisan.  Actor brought up the rear, checking his watch by the shaded light of his torch.  They were right on time.  Now if the rest went as planned the tanks would be exploding at the same time the ammo dump would and Milano was getting bombed.</p><p>After a short walk through the woods, they stopped at an open meadow. Staying close to the ground and behind bushes, the six men checked out the camp in front of them. Two lines of six tanks faced the dirt road leading away from the camp.  A distance behind them and to the west, were tents and troops.  There were guards stationed closer to the tents.  One guard walked a circuit around the tanks.</p><p>“Not very many tanks,” remarked Chief softly.  “Wonder why?”</p><p>“Possibly they are expecting more,” whispered Actor.  He felt Casino’s elbow jab his ribs.</p><p>“Bingo,” hissed the safecracker.  He jerked his chin to their right.  “Look at all those barrels of gasoline.  They must be expecting a whole army of tanks.”</p><p>Actor grinned.  “It would be a shame to leave all that for the coming troops.”</p><p>Casino turned his head toward Chief.  “Think that knife arm of yours can toss a couple grenades into those barrels?  I don’t have enough bombs for that too.”</p><p>“Which barrel do you want me tuh hit?” asked the Indian confidently.</p><p>“The middle.”   Casino looked at the layout.  “As soon as the tanks start to go, blow up the gas.”</p><p>“We will meet back at the truck,” said Actor.</p><p>One of the partisans asked in a whisper of Italian, “What about the guard?”</p><p>“We will take him out,” replied Actor in the same language.  He turned to Chief, switching to English.  “I will get his attention.  You take him.”</p><p>The Indian nodded, dropping the switchblade into his hand.  Actor waited until the guard had turned to walk the far side of the tanks and hurried forward to stop in front of the second tank.  He waited, ramrod straight and with a severe expression.  The guard came up the near side of the tanks and made the turn in front.  Catching sight of the German officer, he immediately brought his gun to bear, but hesitated.</p><p>“What kind of soldier are you?” demanded Actor in German.  “Do you call this guarding?  I walked up between the tanks and you never saw me.  Explain yourself!”</p><p>“But, but, Herr . . .” </p><p>He never finished the sentence.  His back arched and look of stunned surprise crossed his face before he slumped dead to the ground.  The black handle of the switchblade protruded from his back.  Chief ran up and retrieved his knife.  He put the hat on his head and the two men removed the jacket.  The Indian put it on, picked up the rifle and hurried to the end of the row, taking up the soldier’s circuit around the tanks.  </p><p> </p><p>The partisans grabbed the dead man’s ankles and dragged the body back into the woods.  Casino was already setting the timers on the bombs.  He divided the bombs into groups of three.  With Actor translating, he told the men again how to place the bombs in the engines.  Actor kept an eye on the troops by the tents as the men moved out in crouching run to the tanks.  Casino took the farthest front three.  </p><p>With four of them doing it, the bombs were placed quickly.  Actor began herding the partisan men back toward their truck.  Casino waited for Chief and handed him two grenades.  Keeping the jacket and hat on and carrying the rifle, the Indian disappeared into the woods toward the barrels, while Casino ran to catch up with Actor and the others.  </p><p>Right at one o’clock, the tanks blew.  Men ran in confusion.  Chief pulled the pin on the first grenade and threw it into the middle of the pile of barrels.  The second one was right behind it.  Turning, he sprinted as fast as he could away from the inferno that followed with a huge explosion.  He didn’t bother to look back, knowing there was chaos behind him.</p><p>The three Italians were in the back of the truck.  Casino started the engine.  The noise from the explosions drowned out any noise from the motor.  Actor watched for their scout.  Chief came running up, never slowing, to leap with one foot on the running board and diving into the cab.  Actor was right behind him.  The truck started rolling before the con man even had the door closed.</p><p>After turning onto the road, Casino looked into the side mirror.  Flames from the camp were shooting high in the air above the tops of the trees.  Actor was bent forward, peering into his side mirror.</p><p>“That outta keep ‘em busy for a while,” said Casino smugly.  </p><p>“I’m sure,” agreed the con man.  “Now let us hope everything went as smoothly for the Warden, Goniff and Teresa.”</p><p>GGGGG</p><p>Terry and Dario took the point with Craig and Goniff behind them and the other man in the rear.  Garrison had the bag with the bombs and some grenades.  He knew Casino would not trust his explosives with any of the partisans yet.  The group did not stop to rest.  Most of the trek was uphill, but that would make the trip back faster.</p><p>They reached the edge of the camp with time to spare and watched the security.  Unknown to them, the guards were just as lax as what Casino and Actor had found.  The men gathered together around the girl.  Garrison was uncomfortable with the knowledge he was not in charge, his sister was.  Not knowing the lay of the land, he could not very well lead them.  The two partisans seemed comfortable with her, though not her name.  When they addressed her, it was a forced ‘signorina’.</p><p>Terry took one of Craig’s habits and drew a crude map in the dirt with a stick.  Garrison held a small torch with his hand covering the lens except for a slit, and they were behind a boulder.  He listened to the girl calmly assign a target to each man.  From there, she began setting the timers on the bombs.  Garrison was surprised at the efficient way she did it.  He could almost believe this woman was a partisan and not his sister.</p><p>They split up and skirted around the camp to their assigned spots.  Terry had just finished setting her last bomb as far as she could reach into a stacked pile of barrels containing fuel.  It was close enough to the stack of ammo boxes to be able to set those off to.  She looked up sharply as Dario came at a crouching run to her.</p><p>“Trifogio, I have found a box of clips for our rifles and more bands of ammunition we can use.  There is a box of long rifles too.   Can we take them?”  He watched her, knowing she knew how much time they had.</p><p>Terry looked at her watch.  It would be tight, but they could take five minutes to gather some of the supplies.  It would cut their escape time down to ten minutes if there were no problems.  The group was to meet at a designated location down the path they had come up on.  She nodded.  Dario led her back to where he had set his bombs.  Carefully they opened the nearest crates that were hidden from the view of the men in the camp.  </p><p>Terry’s box was full of bandoliers of long point rifle bullets.  She removed some and started putting them in a crisscross over her shoulders.  They were heavy, but she could still manage to run.  Dario was stuffing clips in his pockets and inside his shirt.  He had just opened a crate containing long rifles when their luck ran out.  A guard came around the corner of a tall pile of crates.  The two men froze and stared at each other, both startled for a second.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The guard brought his rifle up and opened his mouth to yell.  A look of surprise crossed his face and he looked down at the knife in his chest even as the life left his eyes.  He crumpled to the ground.  Terry scurried up and retrieved her knife, slipping it back into the wrist sheath.  She slithered over to Dario with a hand on his shoulder and took the two rifles he handed to her.  He had two more he slipped over each shoulder as the girl did the same.</p><p>“Grazie mille,” whispered the man.</p><p>“Prego,” replied Terry in a whisper.  She put out a restraining hand to keep him from taking more rifles.  They did not have time.  The guard would be missed any second.  “No!  Andare via!”</p><p>Dario nodded and ushered the girl into the trees and toward the trail the others would already be on.  They hit the trail running.  Terry realized she was too heavily loaded down, but the guns and ammo were needed by the partisans.  So, she kept running.  In another minute, they heard the cry go up as someone found the body of the soldier.  The girl prayed they would be too busy looking around to search for the bombs.  German shouting behind them at the camp told the two there were soldiers coming after them.</p><p>The others in their group were waiting at a rock outcropping.  Garrison took one look at them laden with rifles and ammo and grabbed a rifle from Terry.  The other partisan, Luigi, grabbed one from Dario. </p><p>“Go! Andare!”  Terry gestured for the Italians and Goniff to hurry.  “They’re onto us,” she said to Craig.  “There are some coming behind us.”</p><p>Garrison glanced at his watch.  It was three minutes before the explosives would go off, if they went off.  He looked around quickly and liked what he saw.  Never thinking this was his sister now and not one of his men, he pointed to the top of one outcropping.</p><p>“Crossfire.”</p><p>Terry nodded and tugged a bandolier over her head, handing it to her brother to go with the rifle he had.  She turned and scrambled up the rocks to a place with a good view and cover.  Garrison did the same on the other side of the trail.  A minute later, a small group of German soldiers came up the trail, guns held at the ready.  The two in the rocks opened fire at the same time, taking out the lead two.  The other three scrambled into the bushes and began firing into the rocks.  The Garrisons returned fire, keeping them pinned down so the others of their group could get away.  Terry shot a glance at her watch and began counting to herself as she returned fire.  </p><p>Twenty-six seconds later, the explosions were deafening.  Flames and giant mushrooms of smoke rose above the trees.  Besides the munitions, the petrol blew barrels in the air.  The German soldiers paused in their firing and looked back toward their camp.  They were confused as to what to do, stay or go back and help.  Go back won out and they attempted to retreat. <br/> Craig was able to hit one of the men.  He and Terry fired some shots behind the other two to hurry them on their way.  Satisfied the soldiers were not coming back the siblings came down from the rocks and took off at a run down the trail in pursuit of their group.  They met up with them at a fork in the trail. </p><p>Terry bent over with her hands on her knees, gulping deep breaths of air.  She would have to start practicing on the obstacle course with a full load on her back.  Dario said something in Italian to the girl.  She looked up and nodded.</p><p>“Sì.  Voi prendete il sentiero di sinistro.  Anderemo guì il diritto.”</p><p>Garrison recognized enough of the words to get the idea they were splitting up and the Italians were taking the left trail and the Americans were taking the right.  Goniff had sidled over to Terry and was looking at her ‘accessories.’  It was then Craig realized she had killed one of the soldiers.  He shot a frowning look at her.  She didn’t seem to be affected by it.  Or at least not yet.</p><p>The partisans started down the path they were taking.  </p><p>“You want me to carry som’thing for you?” asked the Englishman.</p><p>Terry handed him the rifle but kept the bandolier across her shoulder and thanked him.  She took the point and started off at a quick clip.  Craig put Goniff in the middle and took the rear.  He wasn’t sure if there would be anyone coming after them and did not want to find out.  They hadn’t gone far when the girl pulled up short and almost got the pickpocket up her back.  She turned and looked at her brother.</p><p>“Keep going, I’ll catch up with you,” she said beginning to move past the two men.</p><p>“Where are you going?” asked Garrison.</p><p>She grinned at him.  “Old Indian trick, remember?   I’m going back to where the trail divided and wipe out the tracks with brush.  That might hold them up a little.”</p><p>Craig grinned.  He hadn’t thought of that trick in a long time.  “Okay, be careful.  Don’t get caught.”</p><p>She took the bandolier off and handed it to him.  “Just don’t get lost,” she teased him.</p><p>He watched her bound back up the trail.  Goniff slung the rifle over his shoulder and followed the Lieutenant as he started in the direction of the house.  The Englishman wondered at the Warden letting the girl go back on her own.</p><p>At a fast pace it still took them over a half hour to get back.  They entered the house to find Dario, Luigi, Actor, Casino, Chief and the partisans who were with them seated around a table with a couple bottles of wine being poured into glasses by Frazini.  The partisan leader poured two more glasses.  Goniff unslung the rifle and it was taken by Dario.  Garrison handed him the bandolier before accepting a glass of wine.</p><p>After a sip he looked at Actor.  “Everything go all right?”</p><p>“Have I ever let you down?” broke in Casino.</p><p>“First time for everything,” remarked Garrison with a grin.  “Any problems?” he addressed Actor again.</p><p>Actor shook his head.  “A minor one that Chief took care of.  And you?”</p><p>“Nothing we couldn’t handle.  I killed two and Terry killed one.”</p><p>Dario could count in English up to a point.  “Due.”</p><p>Actor shot a look at him.  “Due?  La signorina ha ucciso due?”</p><p>“Sì.”</p><p>Actor looked around.  “Where is . . . la signorina?”</p><p>Craig pulled a chair out and straddled it.  “She went back to wipe out both trails.”</p><p>“And you let her go alone?” burst out Actor in outrage.</p><p>“I’m right here,” came the girl’s voice from the kitchen.  </p><p>She walked into the main room and looked at the rich magenta wine being poured in a glass for her.  She took the bandolier off and handed it to Dario.  Gratefully, she accepted the glass of wine from Frazini.  Actor rose and gave her his chair, going into another room to get another chair.</p><p>“Any trouble?” asked Garrison.</p><p>Terry shook her head.  “Didn’t see a soul.  I think they’re a little busy back there.”</p><p>“What did take you so long?” questioned Garrison.  “I thought you would have caught up with us.”</p><p>“Remember where the trail forked again and you took the left?”  Garrison nodded.  “Well, I wiped out the left and tramped down the brush on the right, making it look like we headed that way and didn’t want to be found.  Only I made sure to leave a boot print in the dirt.”  She took a sip of wine.  “In case they decided to keep looking for us.”</p><p>Chief grinned.  “Who taught you?”</p><p>“Monty.”  She looked at the Indian with narrowed eyes.  “And don’t you say it.”</p><p>“Say what?” asked Chief, not understanding.</p><p>“Whenever I did something right, he’d tell me ‘good woman, worth many buffalo hide’.”</p><p>It was the first spontaneous laugh they had seen come out of their scout.  Chief sat back and watched the girl drop her knife into her hand and pull a handkerchief from her pants pocket.  She intermittently sipped her wine and cleaned the blade.</p><p>“Who is the other one you killed?” asked Garrison casually.</p><p>Terry shook her head as though it was not a problem.  “We got caught heisting the guns and ammo.  I had to take out the guard.”</p><p>The five Americans stared at her.  She looked up at the dead silence.</p><p>“What was I supposed to do?” she asked.  “Say guten tag, wie geht’s?”</p><p>There was still dead silence, finally broken by Frazini addressing Garrison.  “If I was to teach her to be a partisan, then she had to learn to kill.  Otherwise she would be killed.”</p><p>Terry put the knife away and the handkerchief back in her pocket.  She knew her brother was upset and obviously the men too.  Downing the rest of her glass of wine, she stood and looked at her brother.</p><p>“I’m going to bed.  Wake me when we go out again.”</p><p>The men watched her go upstairs.  The silence had returned to the men, American and Italian.  An hour later, the men came up to the room they all shared.  It looked as though the girl was asleep, so they moved quietly and went to their beds.  </p><p>Garrison lay down, facing his sister who was facing him, eyes closed.  He closed his eyes.</p><p>“I can do it,” came a voice barely above a whisper.  “I don’t like it, but I am learning to push it to the back of my mind.  It’s unfortunately necessary in our line of ‘work’.”</p><p>Craig opened his eyes, but the girl’s remained closed.  He looked back on the events after the ammo dump was blown up and remembered how he had treated her as he would have one of his men, and she had reacted as they would have.  Somewhere, somehow, she had become ‘one of his men’ and maybe one of Frazini’s.  Too tired to dwell on it, he drifted off to sleep.</p><p>GGG</p><p>The following two nights saw two railroad tracks destroyed, a rail tunnel blown up, the truck with the German soldiers’ pay highjacked to the glee of Frazini, and a supply camp looted before being destroyed.  Terry sat down one afternoon and drew up more accurate blueprints of the large ammunition dump that would be their last target.  </p><p>It was time to move to another location.  It was not safe staying in one place too long and if they hit too many places the Germans might be able to narrow down where they were staying.  So, after a couple hours sleep, they packed up and began the long trek to one of their better primitive camps.  This time was more to the southwest.  They stayed in the foothills of the Dolomites for most of the day.  </p><p>Frazini dropped behind to talk with Terry, who was being followed by Garrison.  The partisan leader knew the lieutenant’s Italian was not fluent by any means.  The bigger Italian, Actor was behind Garrison, so Emilio kept his voice low.</p><p>“No sign of Il Lupo,” he said rapidly.</p><p>Terry shook her head and replied in low rapid Italian back.  “No.  And we are going in the wrong direction.  I would bet he is in Austria.”</p><p>Emilio cocked his head and looked at the girl questioningly.  “Can you do this without him?”</p><p>“Sure,” replied the woman confidently.  “I know the lay out and I have a great team.  Besides, your men are good too.  It’s a matter of casing the place first to make sure things have not changed anymore.”</p><p>The short Italian turned his eyes forward and then between he and girl.  “This is awkward, Teresa.”</p><p>“Tell me something I don’t know,” she replied wryly.  She smiled at Frazini.  “Tell me you have camp followers at the camp so I don’t have to cook supper for all these people.”</p><p>The scarred face broke into a grin.  “They are probably already cooking.”</p><p>“Molto buono,” said Terry with an exaggerated voice.</p><p>“Hey, Warden.”  The voice though quiet was annoyed and came from behind Actor.  “How much farther?”</p><p>“Another ten miles,” hissed Terry.</p><p>Garrison wondered what the two in front of him had been talking about.  “Emilio, is there anything we can hit tonight?”</p><p>“Aw, come on, Warden,” objected the safecracker.  “Haven’t we made the Krauts mad enough yet?  The big ammo dump oughta really do it.”</p><p>“We’ll find out tonight when we get into radio contact with England if the German troops are changing position.”</p><p>“And if they ain’t?” pressed the safecracker.</p><p>“Then ‘e’ll find something else for us to blow up,” said Goniff confidently.</p><p>“Quiet,” hissed Actor sharply. </p><p>Just because the Germans were in disarray did not mean they were safe.  If anything, there would be more troops out looking for them. Though Chief and a few the partisans had spread out to watch, there was still the chance of soldiers getting past them.<br/>As before, at a three way fork in the path, the group split up along all three branches.  Garrison’s group stayed together.  Frazini went with part of his men and the rest took the third route.  Garrison had to rely on his sister to get them where they were going.  He was not very happy about this situation; however, the girl was proving to be as efficient as the partisans she had been working with.</p><p>It was late afternoon before they arrived at the camp.  There were real tents scattered in the trees around the perimeter of a large open area.  The tents were covered with branches and brush.  Two tables were on opposite edges of the clearing.  One held tin dishes and some silverware.  Two women wearing a variety of mismatched clothing articles were keeping a large pot of stew simmering over a small fire.</p><p>The other table was used for planning.  Frazini had arrived ahead of Garrison’s group and was looking at a map.  A rock was on one corner of the map to hold it down.  Craig, Actor and Terry approached him, while the other three men went to get food.</p><p>“Something has come up,” said Frazini.  “There is a train on its way to Germany.  It will pass by ten miles from here, to the west.  The train has three cars of prisoners on their way to the German work camps.  We are going to hit it tonight.  Would your Casino wish to go with my men to make sure they stop the train without, what you say, knocking it off the tracks?”</p><p>“He’ll go if I tell him to,” said Garrison firmly.</p><p>Terry walked across the clearing to the group of their men.  Chief looked at her warily.  The other two turned and Casino frowned.  </p><p>“Come on. Babe,” teased Terry.  “Warden’s got a little caper for you.”</p><p>“I knew it.  I knew he’d find something to blow up,” said Casino in disgust.</p><p>“You’ll like it,” grinned the girl.  “You get to teach Frazini’s people how to stop a train without killing everybody.”</p><p>That took more talent and that was something the demolition man had a lot of . . . talent.  With a nod of acquiescence, he walked over to the other men.</p><p>“He takin’ all of us?” asked Chief.</p><p>Terry shook her head.  “I think just Casino, to watch the men.”  She followed him back to her brother.</p><p>“Okay,” said the safecracker.  “Whadda yuh want me to blow up now?”</p><p>“A trainload of prisoners.  Only we don’t want them blown up,” said Craig.</p><p>Casino set his bowl of stew aside and looked at the map.  “So, show me where.”</p><p>Frazini smoothed the paper out and followed a train track line with his forefinger.  Actor, deciding he was not needed, went to get something to eat.  He met Terry partway.  She was balancing four bowls of stew on both arms.  Actor took two of them from her and they went to the table.  Terry handed a bowl to Emilio and Actor handed one to Garrison.  The officer gave as little nod in acknowledgement.</p><p>“So how many train cars?  What’s the security like?” asked Casino, already getting into the planning mode.</p><p>“Three cattle cars of prisoners, a car at the end and the engine,” replied Emilio.  “There will be six men with guns on top of the cattle cars.  Usually two men in the end car.  The engineer and the fireman in the engine.”</p><p>Casino sucked on a cheek and picked up his bowl of food.  “We’ll need at least a dozen men.  Need to catch the guards in a cross fire.  We block the tracks, so the train has to stop.  A couple of grenades in the caboose and in the engine.”  He took a spoonful of stew, chewed and swallowed.  “And what are we going to do with three train cars full of prisoners?”</p><p>Frazini shook his head.  “The Italians will disappear.  The rest will go with some of my men to meet another group who takes care of Allied soldiers and gets them to where they can go south or to Switzerland.  You will not have to go with them.”</p><p>Casino tapped the line of railroad track on the map where they would be intercepting the train.  “And, where are we?” he asked.</p><p>“Here.”  Frazini pointed to a place a good ten miles away.</p><p>“Aw come on, Warden,” Casino objected.  “We just walked ten miles.  You want I should walk another ten miles and back?”</p><p>“No, no, no,” denied Emilio quickly.  “We have trucks for this.  They are kept a mile from here.  It will be slower because they stay off the main roads, but you can ride most of the way.”</p><p>“Okay,” agreed the safecracker.  “When do we leave?”</p><p>GGG</p><p>Casino and his team had been gone an hour when Garrison told Actor to get some sleep.  The con man did not object but headed for one of the tents that had been assigned to them.  Craig frowned when his sister started to follow Actor.</p><p>“And where are you going?” he asked.</p><p>“With him.”  The girl looked at the tall Italian who had stopped and turned around to see what was going on.  “Any objection?” she asked him.</p><p>Actor’s eyebrows rose.</p><p>Terry looked at her brother with hands on her hips.  “Casino’s out.”  She did a quick scan of the camp.  “Chief’s out with Casino.  You’re going to be up all night.  Goniff doesn’t put off much heat and . . .”  She jerked a thumb toward the con man.  “He’s like a furnace.”</p><p>“Thank you,” said Actor sarcastically.</p><p>Terry ignored him.  “So, who do you want me to sleep with?  One of Emilio’s men?  I think not.”</p><p>She had him on that one realized Garrison.  He looked at Actor.  The con man gave one of his put upon sighs and held his hand out to the girl.</p><p>“Come along then, if you must,” he said with obvious resignation.</p><p>Terry ignored his hand and preceded him into the tent.  Actor looked at the younger officer.</p><p>“Lieutenant . . . “</p><p>“I know,” said Craig.  “She’s safe with you.”</p><p>Actor nodded and turned away.  Under these circumstances the girl was safe with him.  Now if they had been alone at the Savoy, or back at his house, then maybe not so safe.</p><p>Craig watched his back as he ducked down to enter the tent.  He had no qualms about the older man sleeping with his sister as they had the other night.  It was more a matter of would the confidence man be safe from Terry.  It was a good thing Actor didn’t turn around or the Italian would have seen the amused smile on Craig’s face.</p><p>Terry was already lying on her side on the ground.  Actor lay down beside her, facing the opposite direction.  As expected, the girl wiggled over to press her back against his and flip the edge of the thin and threadbare blanket over him.  He pulled on it, tucking it around himself.</p><p>“Teresa . . . ,” he hissed.</p><p>“Basta, carissimmo,” she whispered back.    “This isn’t like the Savoy.”</p><p>“I have never slept with you at the Savoy,” he whispered back.  “Nor do I intend to.”</p><p>“Are you going to talk all night?” Terry asked.  “I’m trying to sleep.”  A wicked little smile puckered her mouth.</p><p>This was one of those times Actor wondered what he had done to deserve this.  “Must you push this subject with the Lieutenant?”  He felt the girl stiffen behind him.</p><p>She moved away.  “Fine.  I go find one of Emilio’s men to sleep with.  I didn’t realize this was such a burden to you.”</p><p>He heard the hint of hurt in her voice.  “Not a burden, cara.  More like too much of temptation.  Now get back here.”</p><p>She resumed the position she had been in.  “Maybe when we get back to England, Craig will give you a 48-hour pass.  You can go visit Elizabeth and toss that boy she is trying to groom out on his rear.  She should be tired of him by now and appreciate you for what she doesn’t have to teach you.”</p><p>“Jealous?” he couldn’t help but tease her.</p><p>“Of Elizabeth?  No.  She had you first.  Besides, she’s older and more experienced.  More your type.”</p><p>Actor gave a quiet snort of laughter.  “Go to sleep, Teresa."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Casino and Chief scanned the area around them.  Two men were chopping down a large tree so it would fall across the train tracks just before a tunnel.  The track was straight so it should give the engineer time to stop.  There were woods on either side of the train that could hide snipers.  A couple well thrown grenades would take out the end car and the engine without blowing up the cattle cars of prisoners.  Cattle cars.  What a crappy war.</p><p>Casino shook his head.  Normally Chief would be one of the riflemen, but Frazini’s men were good shots.  Casino needed him to take out the end car.  The safecracker would be in the tunnel, ready to come out and lob a couple grenades in the engine compartment.  More damn lives they’d be taking, but as the Warden would say, it would save more.</p><p>With a creak followed by a loud groan, the tree leaned over and toppled with a bounce and crash.  Chief looked at it in the light of the full moon and nodded.</p><p>“That oughta stop ‘em.”</p><p>“Hope so,” said Casino pessimistically.  If the engineer wasn’t paying attention and hit it, there’d be a lot more dead people.</p><p>The men scattered to their places up trees and behind boulders.  Casino double checked his pockets and felt the somehow comforting pineapple shapes of grenades.  He didn’t take the time to wonder how they had come by American grenades instead of the stick ones the Krauts used.  He glanced at Chief and noticed the Indian was doing the same thing.</p><p>“Don’t miss,” warned Casino, with a verbal jab.</p><p>Chief grinned.  “You take care of your end of the train, Pappy, and I’ll take care of my end.”</p><p>Casino gave short laugh at the nickname. “Right, Geronimo.”</p><p>The two men parted and went to their respective hiding places.  They didn’t have to wait long.  The sound of the train engine crept into their hearing and grew as it approached.  Casino watched from the shadows of the entrance to the tunnel.  That train better stop, or he would be in a very bad place.  Looking around, he was impressed that he couldn’t spot any of the partisans, though he knew where each was hiding.</p><p>The train was moving slowly up the grade when it rounded the bend and into the straightaway to the tunnel.  As expected, the brakes locked with a screech and the train jerked as it fought the forward momentum.  It came to a stop a few feet from the tree.  In unison the Italians opened fire.  There was a brief firefight with the soldiers atop the train cars and the ones in the engine compartment and the caboose.  </p><p>Casino leaped onto the broad trunk of the tree and over, sprinting alongside the engine.  Pulling pins, first one and then a second grenade were tossed into the compartment.  Casino sprinted back behind the sheltering trunk of the tree and hit the dirt as the twin explosions flashed in the compartment.  Almost simultaneously, he heard an echo from the other end of the train.  </p><p>There were cries from the cattle cars, but no shots.  The Americans and the Italians ran to the three cars, shooting the locks off the doors, hoping they would not hit anyone inside.  The stench of sweat, urine and feces was already overpowering from the cars.  As the doors were pulled open, men spilled out the door.  </p><p>“Andare!  Andare via!” yelled the partisans.</p><p>“Come on!  Move it!” yelled Casino.  “This ain’t no picnic!”</p><p>“Hey, Chicago!”  A voice rang out with a similar accent.</p><p>“Over here!” called Casino.  “Come on, over here!”</p><p>A man in the tattered remnants of a USAAF uniform pushed through the crowd of men who were scattering like rats from the proverbial sinking ship.  Other Americans and a couple of British followed the sound of Casino’s voice.  In a minute there was small gathering of six men, three Americans, a Canadian, and two British.  All flyers.  Chief ran up and joined them.  Dario appeared at Casino’s elbow.</p><p>“Okay, listen up!” said the safecracker loudly.  “You go with this man.”  He gestured to Dario.  “He don’t speak English, but he can get you outta here.”</p><p>“Why can’t we go with you?” asked another men.</p><p>Casino shook his head.  “We got other fish tuh fry.  They’ll get you to safe houses and back to Allied lines or Switzerland.”</p><p> “Seguitemi!  Seguitemi!” Dario motioned the men to follow him.</p><p>The two cons watched the group disappear into the woods with Dario and two more men.  Two more partisans faded into the trees on either side of the line of men and another followed farther behind.  Casino, Chief and the remaining partisans headed back the way they had come as quickly as possible.</p><p>GGGGG</p><p>As expected, Garrison was waiting up for them to return.  The three hunkered down by the small fire in the middle of the clearing.  </p><p>“Any problems?” asked the officer.</p><p>“Naw,” answered Casino.  He shook his head.  “Cattle cars.  They were packed in cattle cars.  So many of ‘em they all had to stand.  Musta been in there awhile.  It stunk.”</p><p>“Any trouble getting them out of there?” asked Garrison.</p><p>Casino shook his head.  “The Italians scattered.  We got the air force guys rounded up and they took off with Dario.”</p><p>“Well, get some sleep.  We’re going to check out the munitions compound tomorrow.  We’ll see how it looks and if we hit it tomorrow night or the next day.”  </p><p>Garrison hoped it would be sooner rather than later.  He wanted it to be finished as quickly as possible.  The air force had hit Milan right on time and there was a lot of damage to the city.  Slowly German troops were starting to be sent north.  Apparently, they were thinking the attack was beginning and on the opposite end of the country than they had planned.  They just needed a little more incentive to move along and a little less fuel and ammunition when they arrived.</p><p>Casino rose to his feet and stretched before heading for the tent he, Goniff and Chief were sharing.  Chief was a little slower moving away.  He waited for Garrison to get to his feet.</p><p>“It ain’t right, Warden,” said the Indian quietly.  “Treatin’ people like that.  Like they ain’t even human.  It ain’t right, yuh know?”</p><p>Garrison nodded.  “I know.  At least we got this group away.”</p><p>The two men parted and went to their respective tents.  Garrison crawled into the tent with Actor and Terry.  Actor’s head lifted when the lieutenant entered.  Garrison didn’t say anything.  His sister was stretched out, back to back with the Italian.  Craig wasn’t sure if she was awake or not.  He laid down on the other side of the girl.</p><p>“Thanks for the heat, caro.” whispered Terry with resignation.</p><p>“Prego,” replied the con man, his head going back down on his bent arm.</p><p>The girl rolled from under the blanket and scooted over to lay back to back with her brother.  </p><p>Garrison covered them both with another blanket.  Apparently, her little act of defiance was over.  Sometimes he wondered how Actor had the patience for her.</p><p>GGGGG</p><p>It was late morning and the Garrison’s group was hidden on a hill top overlooking the fortified munitions and fuel compound.  Terry had been studying the area for 15 minutes, making pencil changes on her map.  Garrison did not interrupt her and had shushed Goniff when he tried to talk to her.  Actor was on the other side of the girl and he was studying the layout and the changes Terry was making on the map.</p><p>The girl made a face of concentration, mouth pursed together. </p><p>Finally, Garrison had to ask.  “Can we do it?”</p><p>Terry nodded.  “It can be done, but not tonight, Brother.  Too many changes.  Actor will have to play the inspecting general.  Chief can drive.”  She looked at the Indian.  “Can you disappear while Actor is harassing the major?”</p><p>Chief nodded.  “Take out the alarms, telephone and the electricity to the fence?”</p><p>Terry nodded.</p><p>“How long will it take?” asked Garrison.  He would be with Actor.</p><p>“Depends,” said Chief.  “No problems . . . maybe fifteen minutes.”</p><p>“If there are problems,” remarked Actor, “we will hear about it.”</p><p>“It takes about 15 minutes to get all the explosives in place,” said the girl, knowing from experience.  “That means you guys,” she shifted her eyes between the two leaders, “will have to keep the major busy for at least thirty minutes.”</p><p>“I will have to see the written plans and cost and blueprints for the upgrades,” said Actor, with haughty certainty.  He was already moving in and out of his character.</p><p>Terry shoved the blueprint and a pencil past her brother to Casino.  The safecracker studied the layout and the tableau below.  He started making ‘x’s where he wanted the explosives placed.  With as much stuff as the Germans had stashed in that compound, it wouldn’t take much to set it all off.  He pushed to paper back in front of Garrison and pointed with the pencil.</p><p>“Time bombs here, here and here.  Start with the munitions buildings at thirty second intervals.  End with the petrol.  It’ll make the biggest bang.  They won’t know which way to run.  We’ll have time to get out while they’re runnin’ around trying to put the fire out.”</p><p>“An’ wot about us?” asked Goniff with concern.  “With you blowin’ everything up, ‘ow are we going to get out?”</p><p>“Simple,” said Garrison.  “We have to get the General out of harm’s way.  We drive straight out the front gate.”</p><p>“You make it sound like a picnic,” said the pickpocket in disbelief.  “It’s never that easy.”</p><p>Terry took the paper back and looked at the ‘x’s.  “We did it something along those lines the last time.”</p><p>“We who?” persisted the Cockney.</p><p>“Me, some of Frazini’s men, and Il Lupo.”</p><p>“So where is this Il Lupo?” asked Casino sarcastically.</p><p>“I have no idea,” replied the girl, but she wished he was here.  </p><p>Satisfied, Garrison folded the paper and stuffed it in his shirt.  He motioned them back from the edge and led them back down the trail toward their camp.  Chief took the point when they got halfway down the hill.  It was another long walk, but the next day they would be riding in a staff car and a troop truck.  The truck, driven by Casino, would have Terry and a couple of the partisans in the back.  They would be a work gang sent to fix the damage being done by the resistance, if stopped at a road block.  Terry could hide under tools and supplies in the back.</p><p>After returning to the camp, Terry nudged her brother and motioned with her head for him to follow her.  She led him away from the group and sat on a fallen tree.  Garrison took a seat beside her.</p><p>“What?” asked the officer.</p><p>Terry frowned.  “I’m sorry about all this, Craig.  You know it wasn’t my idea.”</p><p>“What wasn’t?”  It seemed like a lot was her idea.</p><p>“I never wanted to be in charge over you.  I know you don’t like it much.  And Actor doesn’t like it at all.”  She picked at the bark on the tree beside her.  “I know the lay of the land and how to take out the ammo dump, with or without Il Lupo.”</p><p>Garrison shook his head.  “Terry, sometimes I don’t even know who you are.  You’re not my sister.”</p><p>The girl pulled a bit of bark off and turned it in her fingers, eyes on it and not her brother.  “Craig, sometimes I don’t even know who I am.”</p><p>Another thought had been worrying at him.  “You know you’re compromised with this group now.  They know who you are.”</p><p>“I figured that out already.  I won’t be coming back here.”</p><p>“So, what is your name?”  Garrison was curious.</p><p>She turned her head and looked up at him.  “I can’t tell you that or I will be compromised again.  I told you, I use the name for a couple different groups.  I can’t let you know.  You know that.”</p><p>Garrison sighed.  “Yes.   I was hoping you could trust me enough.”</p><p>“I trust you, but I can’t put you in a position to know about me and the groups I work with.  Just like we didn’t know your name in Norway or what you were doing.  It’s not a matter of trust.  It’s a matter of safety . . . yours and mine.”</p><p>“It’s difficult being an officer and a brother.”</p><p>“It’s difficult being a partisan and a sister.”</p><p>The two got up and returned to the camp.</p><p>Garrison, Actor and Frazini spread a map of the area and the blue print Terry had made on one end of a makeshift table.  Casino was on the other end, making more time bombs.  Chief was standing close enough to the safecracker to watch him making the timers for the bombs.  Goniff had gone in search of food for his bottomless pit of a stomach.</p><p>Terry straightened and stepped back from the makeshift table where she had been looking at the map over Craig’s shoulder.  She really didn’t need to see it.  Movement by the far trees caught her attention and she watched as a group of three men appeared, followed in a moment by four more people. </p><p>The erect stature of the leader captured her eye and she smiled.  He was about Casino’s height and older than Actor.  The hair was still thick and wavy, but there seemed to be a touch of gray in the sideburns and the several days’ growth of beard that had not been there just two months before.  A Schmeisser hung by the strap from his right shoulder.  Along with the surge of pleasure that went through her was a stab of apprehension.  She needed to get to him before her brother and the men.</p><p>Casually, Terry walked around the table and up to the man.  He glanced at her and a broad grin crossed his face.  A hand patted the shoulder of the man he was talking to and handed him the machine gun before he stepped up to meet her.</p><p>“Salve, cara,” he said with the familiar low voice, a smile in the green/gray eyes.</p><p>“Salve, caro,” she replied with a reflected smile.</p><p>The older man looked at the group at the table and frowned down at Terry.  “You are with the Americans?” he asked in Italian.</p><p>“Si,” replied Terry.  “They don’t know me as you do.”</p><p>It brought at nod of understanding.  The man’s arms opened up and Terry moved into his embrace.  The hug was genuine, warm and hard. </p><p>“Come ti chiami?” he whispered in her ear, placing a kiss in the crook of her neck.</p><p>“Teresa,” she replied with the pronunciation Actor gave it.  “E tu?”</p><p>“Ancora Il Lupo,” he replied.</p><p>Terry chuckled.  “Naturalmente.”</p><p>She leaned back but did not move away from the hands that were grasping her waist lightly.  Her hand reached up and stroked the graying sideburn and beard.  </p><p>“Life is hard, mio amico,” she said softly.</p><p>“Si,” he nodded, “but the alternative to life is not acceptable.”</p><p>“True.”</p><p>Chief had been watching the exchange from the beginning.  He barely stifled a reaction when Terry was pulled back into a long and seemingly passionate kiss.</p><p>“Shit,” the Indian whispered.</p><p>“What?” asked Casino, turning his head to follow the man’s line of vision.  “Shit.”</p><p>Both men glanced at Actor.  Some sixth sense caused the con man to look up and spot Terry in the arms of the resistance leader.  The only reaction was a stiffening of his back.  Garrison immediately noticed he had lost his second’s attention.</p><p> </p><p>“Actor,” he said quietly, but testily.<br/>When there was no response, Craig looked to see what had caused the man to break concentration.  The sight of his sister, in a seemingly impassioned embrace with a man had him straightening and frowning.</p><p>Emilio looked up and a broad grin crossed his face.  “Ah, good, you can meet Il Lupo.  Your sister already knows him.”</p><p>Il Lupo opened an eye and took in the two men watching from the table with Frazini.  He broke the kiss but kept Terry tightly to him.</p><p>“Is one of those men your amoro?” he whispered in amusement.</p><p>“No,” said Terry.  “The tall blond is mio fratello.  Perché?”</p><p>The other man is italiano?”</p><p>“And americano now,” she answered.</p><p>“I think if our circumstances were different, that italiano would be over here trying to take my head off.”</p><p>Oh crap, thought Terry.  Was Actor being out of character for him in front of Craig?</p><p>“Actor’s pissed,” said Casino with a grin.</p><p>“Yup.”</p><p>Goniff joined them, chewing on a piece of bread.  “Wot’s going on?” he asked.  When there was no answer, he scanned the men at the table and followed their stare.  He stopped in mid-chew.  “Bloody ‘ell,” he murmured.  “Terry know him?”</p><p>“Real well from the looks of it,” replied Casino.</p><p>“Actor ain’t gonna like that,” said Goniff, in a hissed whisper.</p><p>“He don’t,” answered Casino with certainty.</p><p>“Neither does the Warden from the looks of it,” observed Chief.</p><p>No, Garrison was not happy.  Terry had readily admitted to spending time with the man.  He was obviously older than Actor and seemed quite familiar with the girl.  What?  Was she preferring older men now?  He watched as the girl brought the man to the table.<br/>Frazini slapped the taller man on the back with a grin of affection that was returned.  The leader turned to the other two men.</p><p>“This is Lt. Garrison, American,” he said in Italian.  “Il Lupo.”</p><p>Garrison held his hand out and the man gave a strong handshake.  The man nodded.</p><p>“This is Actor,” Frazini continued.</p><p>The two older Italians gave each other the same arrogant, haughty look, despite Il Lupo having to look up at the younger man.  Terry, watching them, wanted to plant her boot in each of their backsides.  When had Actor become so openly territorial?</p><p>“And down there are Casino, Chief, and Goniff.”  Terry pushed on.</p><p>Il Lupo looked at the explosive parts laid out on the table in front of Casino.  He turned his eyes to Terry.</p><p>“Is he good with explosives?” he asked in Italian.</p><p>“It is one of his specialties,” replied Actor in the same language before Terry could open her mouth.</p><p>“Ah, but not yours,” Il Lupo tossed the barb at Actor.</p><p>“I pursue more refined activities,” replied the con man.</p><p>The partisan leader gave the taller man a once over with critical eyes.  “Yes,” was all he said.  Dismissively he turned to Frazini.  “So, what are they doing here?”</p><p>“We’re going after the munitions compound again,” said Terry quickly in Italian to keep Actor from answering.</p><p>Il Lupo looked down at the map and blueprint.  “Who is going?” he asked Frazini.</p><p>“All of them and Roberto,” replied Emilio.</p><p>The other leader looked at Terry.  “You are coming too?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Because you weren’t here and nobody knew where you were,” she shot back at him.</p><p>He gave a typically Italian shrug.  “I’m here now.  We don’t need Roberto.  Teresa and I have done this before.  We can do it again.”  He turned to Terry.  “Can’t we, cara.”</p><p>“Certo,” she replied with a smile that was not totally sincere.</p><p>Wonderful.  Her, Il Lupo, and Actor together.  That was going to be entertaining.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Il Lupo kept an arm around Terry and moved to the table between Actor and Garrison with the girl between the two Italians.  The partisan gave a nod and quirky smile to the lieutenant and another disdainful once over of Actor.  It was noticed by the taller man, but not commented on. Il Lupo proceeded to ignore him.</p><p>“So, is this the new layout?” he asked Terry and Frazini.</p><p>“Sì,” replied the girl.  She pointed out the new perimeter security and filled him in on the locations of everything in Italian.</p><p>“And what will he do?” asked the partisan.  </p><p>“Does he speak English?” asked Garrison in annoyance.</p><p>“No,” replied Frazini.</p><p>Terry looked up at the gray-green eyes of the older man and began to explain.  “He and my brother will go in as SS officers to inspect the compound.  That will keep the . . .”</p><p>“Teresa!”  The con man interrupted testily.  “I do not need you to translate.  I am perfectly capable of speaking in my native language.”</p><p>Terry looked up at him with narrowed eyes.  “Oh, mi dispiace, please carry on.”  The sarcasm dripped from her voice.</p><p>Actor began to explain the plan to Il Lupo, only he dropped the more generic Italian language for Roman dialect, hoping the man would have to ask for a translation.  To his hidden chagrin, the partisan smoothly shifted to Roman.</p><p>At the other end of the table, the three cons were trying, not too successfully, to hide their amusement.  The last time they had seen Actor this touchy was when they had teased him in front of the Duchess.  Garrison shot a look of disapproval at his sister, who looked skyward as the two Italians sniped at each other over her head.  The fact that Frazini was finding it amusing too did not help.</p><p>Il Lupo nodded, seeming to accept the plan.  He looked down the table at Casino and the bomb parts in front of him.  His attention shifted to the girl.</p><p>“Is he good with explosives?” he asked Terry.</p><p>“Sì,” replied Actor before Terry could open her mouth.</p><p>“Non ho chiesto hai,” shot back the partisan chastisingly.</p><p>“Basta!” reprimanded Terry.</p><p>Actor started to say something, but she issued the same order to him.  The con man shot a withering glare at her. </p><p>Terry stepped back and made a grand motion with both hands and arms for them to continue on.</p><p>“Merda!  Uomini!” she said in disgust.  Slipping an arm through her brother’s in passing, she pulled him down to the other end of the table.  “Come on, they’ll both be bashing each other’s brains out in a minute.  “Stupidi, arroganti italiani,” Terry muttered just loud enough for both to hear.</p><p>Frazini was openly chuckling now.  Garrison shook his head.  He did not want to reprimand Actor in front of the older Italian partisan.  Making the con man lose even more face would not be of any help. So, the three left the two men to settle down together and joined the cons at the far end of the table.</p><p>“Hey, Babe?” said Casino softly.  “You safe with that Lupo guy and his men?”  His voice was dubious.</p><p>Terry nodded.  “I’m as safe with him as I am with you guys.”</p><p>Garrison noticed she did not include Il Lupo’s men in that.</p><p>Frazini turned to Terry with a knowing grin.  “We are going to destroy another railroad bridge tonight.  Would you like to come along?”</p><p>“No!” answered Garrison sharply.  He didn’t need his sister out all night and then taking on their mission tomorrow with little or no sleep.</p><p>Terry had been of the same notion, so she merely shook her head.  “Tomorrow will be enough fun for me.”</p><p>Casino was curious.  “How you gonna set it up?” he asked the resistance leader.</p><p>“Dynamite and a long fuse,” he answered casually.</p><p>The safecracker’s eyebrows rose.  “You trust her with dynamite and a long fuse?” he asked in disbelief.</p><p>“It’s only when I’m with you I get blown up, Babe,” Terry countered with a grin.</p><p>“Terrific,” said Casino with disgust.</p><p>Still chuckling, Emilio motioned to a group of his men and they headed out for the long walk to the railroad trestle.  Terry looked between her brother and Goniff with a smile.  </p><p>“Gentlemen, would you care to escort me to the supper buffet?”</p><p>“I could stand another bowl of soup,” said Goniff cheerfully.  “I’m beginning to feel a little puny.”</p><p>“You always feel that way,” said Terry, holding out her elbow to link with his.  She glanced at Casino.  “You want a bowl?”</p><p>“Naw,” he replied, “I want to finish this up.  I’ll get some when I’m done.”</p><p>“It’s got meat in it tonight,” she reminded him.</p><p>“I know, Babe, I’ll get some later.  I’m almost done.”</p><p>Garrison was standing, eyeing the two Italians at the other end of the table.  The volume of their voices had lowered, and they seemed to be talking reasonably.  He decided to leave them alone.</p><p>GGG</p><p>After supper of venison soup, it was too watery to be a stew, the men settled down for a bit.  Actor’s deck of cards came out and a poker game ensued between him, Casino, and Goniff.  Garrison continued to study the map and the layout of the compound they were going to.  Chief had taken up watch close to the tents where they were spending the night.</p><p>Terry had just wandered up to her brother when Il Lupo approached and asked her to come for a walk with him.  She told her brother she would be back in a bit.  The hooded look she received from Actor did not go unnoticed by her or Garrison.  </p><p>The older man and the woman walked through the woods behind the camp; together, but not touching.  They spoke softly in Italian.</p><p>“Trifolgio, cara mia,” said Il Lupo.  “Are you safe with those men?”</p><p>The question brought a grin and silent chuckle from the girl.  “They asked me the same about you, caro, and your men.  Yes, I am safe with them.  They watch out for me as you do.”</p><p>Lupo took her hand in his and held it as they walked.  “The italiano is jealous I think,” he teased her.</p><p>Terry jabbed him lightly with her elbow.  “And you are not?”</p><p>“He is too old for you, cara.  And I am older than he is I am sure.”</p><p>“Probably a bit,” she admitted.</p><p>They stopped and sat on a downed tree.  </p><p>“He is your man?” asked Lupo, casually.</p><p>“No, he is not my man,” replied Terry.  “He’s special.  They all are special.”</p><p>The older man chuckled, “but he is more special, no?”</p><p>Terry gave a short chuckle.  She was getting tired of this same question over and over.  One of these days she was just going to answer in the affirmative and let Actor explain it.</p><p>“Actor and I are a team.  We work closely together.  He is a confidence man and I work the cons with him.”  She smiled teasingly at Lupo.  “Why?”</p><p>The man shrugged.  “No reason.  Just curious.”</p><p>“You know it can be dangerous to be curious,” she said just as casually.</p><p>“What?   I should worry about what he will do?”  The man’s tone was scoffing.</p><p>“You know better than to underestimate anyone,” she shot back at him.</p><p>“Sì.”</p><p>Terry changed the subject.  “So, are you coming in with me again?”</p><p>Lupo nodded.  “You will not be with him, and you and I work well together.”  He glanced at her.  “Perhaps you do not want me with you?”</p><p>“Of course I want you with me,” she said.  “Our men work well together.  Just as you and I do.”</p><p>“Buono.”  They sat together in silence for a minute.  “Do your people know your name with us?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Lupo placed an arm around Terry and she leaned against him.  “But our people know who you are.  You realize it is not safe for you to work with us anymore?”</p><p>The girl nodded.  “I still don’t know why I was sent on this mission.  They must have been afraid you would not show up.”</p><p>“Communications around here are not great,” he said.</p><p>“No,” acknowledged Terry.  </p><p>She had been trying to push back the knowledge this was probably the last time they would work together.  It saddened her as it saddened him.  A friendship had sprung up between the two that was not usual between an Italian man and a woman.  But these were not usual times.  He gave her a brief kiss on the forehead.</p><p>“You had better go back to your people,” he said somewhat reluctantly.</p><p>Terry nodded.  “Where are you going to be?”</p><p>“Back to the camp by the boulders.”</p><p>“Okay.  I’ll see you in the morning.”</p><p>GGG</p><p>Garrison looked up from the table where he was studying the layout of the munitions camp for the millionth time it seemed to him.  The men were taking advantage of the time with no added on capers to get some sleep in preparation for the next day’s activities.  Casino and Goniff were in a tent.  Chief was in the woods somewhere.  And the con man was in a tent alone.  Terry moved quietly through the camp and approached her brother.</p><p>“Have a nice talk?” asked Craig.</p><p>“No,” said Terry.  “He doesn’t mind quickies.  And he’s as good as Actor.”</p><p>Garrison stared at her.  She grinned.  “Well, it’s what you were expecting, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Have a nice talk?” repeated the officer.</p><p>“Yes,” she replied.  Her grin dissolved.  “Okay, who do I sleep with tonight, Lieutenant, Sir?”</p><p>“Actor,” said Craig.</p><p>“What?” Terry wasn’t sure she was hearing right.  </p><p>“Actor.  You know, tall Italian confidence man?”  Garrison was half teasing her.  “You slept with him last night.  It shouldn’t bother you to do it again.”</p><p>“Yeah and neither one of you liked it,” she said.</p><p>Garrison figured if the girl stayed close to Actor, the con man would get over his anger at his perception of being shown up.  He didn’t like using his sister like that, but he needed his second in calm control.  The two Italians seemed to grate on each other with Terry in the middle.</p><p>“I think you’re safer with Actor than you are with Il Lupo,” remarked Craig.</p><p>Terry almost choked on that one.  Little did Craig know Il Lupo had never made a move on her and she had done more than sleep with Actor in the past.  This was getting a bit strange.</p><p>“If you say so,” was all she said.</p><p>Terry went over and crawled in the tent.  Actor looked over his shoulder.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” he asked in annoyance.</p><p>“Sleeping,” she replied shortly.  “Craig’s orders.”</p><p>“Oh, sure,” scoffed Actor in disbelief.</p><p>“Go ask him,” shot the girl back at him.  “Don’t worry.  I won’t touch you.”</p><p>She stretched out, back to him, and pulled the other blanket over herself. </p><p>“I’m surprised you did not stay with your friend.”  Actor’s tone was deliberately unconcerned.</p><p>He did not see the sour face the girl made.  “If my being in here bothers you so much, I can find his camp in the dark.”</p><p>“Sleep wherever you want, Teresa.”</p><p>“Really, Actor?”</p><p>“Really, Teresa.”</p><p>For a brief moment the girl was tempted to go back to the other camp.  Instead, she threw the blanket off, scooted back so she was against the con man’s back, and yanked his blanket over herself and almost off him.  </p><p>“Merda,” Actor muttered and pulled the blanket partially back.</p><p>An hour later, Garrison cautiously eased into the tent.  The two were sleeping, or at least Terry was.  Craig moved away from his sister and covered up with the discarded blanket.</p><p>“You want me to get her off of you?” asked Garrison.</p><p>“If that is what you want.  Otherwise, this is fine, Warden.”</p><p>“Good. It’s your turn.  I slept with her last night.”</p><p>“Keep it up, Guys and I will go back to Il Lupo’s camp and sleep with him.”</p><p>GGGGG</p><p>Late the next morning, the partisan came into camp without his men.  Actor was about to go into the tent with the duffle containing his SS uniform and his makeup kit.  He paused and the two Italians eyed each other.  Terry had given a brief wave to acknowledge Il Lupo when he entered the camp but continued to concentrate on the blueprint of the munitions camp.  She did not see the exchange but turned her head slightly when Il Lupo came up behind her, brushed her hair aside and placed a kiss on her neck.  Garrison eyed her in annoyance.</p><p>“Idiot children,” she said calmly in Lakota, ignoring the gesture.</p><p>Craig looked to his second, but the man was disappearing into the tent.  A few minutes later, Actor came out in white blouse, gray riding pants and jackboots.  He picked up the duffle and his tunic and hat before walking over to sit at the other end of the table. He pulled out his make-up case and opened it in front of him so he could use the mirror on the inside of the lid.  In mock indecision, Actor lifted one mustache and then another.</p><p>“Mustache?” he asked in Italian.</p><p>“Of course,” replied Terry in the same language.  “Not the pencil thin one though.  I don’t like that one on you.”</p><p>“Beard?” asked the con man with humor.</p><p>“Not the Vandyke.  I hate that one.”</p><p>“You won’t be kissing it this time, cara.”</p><p>“I still don’t like it,” she said absently.</p><p>Actor set a fuller mustache on the table and lifted the tray out to get at the make-up stored underneath.  He was fully aware of the partisan watching him, though he seemed to be ignoring the man.</p><p>“He wears face paint?” whispered Il Lupo dubiously.</p><p>“Oh, yes,” said Terry with a grin.  “Go watch him.  It’s amazing.”</p><p>Garrison was rapidly getting irritated with this conversation in Italian he only understood one word in ten of. </p><p>“Do you think two of you could speak English?” he asked.</p><p>“No.”  The response was simultaneous from his sister and his second.</p><p>“Cos’è?” asked Il Lupo catching irritation in the officer’s voice.</p><p>“Niente,” replied Terry.  “Go watch.”</p><p>“I don’t think he would like that,” said the partisan with seeming disinterest.</p><p>“I don’t care,” said Actor.</p><p>Curiosity won out over dignity, and the older man moved to the opposite side of the table.  He did not take a seat but stood and observed in silence.  Actor took a pot of base from the case, opened it and dipped a fingertip in it.  He dabbed it on strategic parts of his face and then feathered it in.  Next came the eyebrow pencil.  He pulled his cheek outward with a finger and lined the crease from his nose to the corner of his mouth.  This was blended in with a fingertip before the process was repeated on the other side.  Already the transformation was starting.  A light dusting of gray-toned eye shadow was applied to both upper lids and smoothed out.  It gave his eyes a deep-seated look.  Face powder was lightly dusted over his entire face to hide the obvious use of cosmetics.  Studying his face in the little mirror, Actor was satisfied he now looked at least ten years older.  He gave the image in the mirror his stern SS look.  </p><p>Glancing up, Actor noted the single raised eyebrow of the older man watching in wonder. He feigned disinterest and picked up an object wrapped in thin cloth.  Unwrapping it, he looked at the glasses with an air of indecision.</p><p>“Gli occhiali?”</p><p>Now Terry looked up in confusion.  Actor never asked her opinion of what disguise he should wear.  “Certo.”</p><p>Even Garrison was beginning to wonder.  It had to be for the benefit of the older Italian partisan.</p><p>Actor set the glasses on the table and put the make-up back in place in the case.  The tray was set on top and he opened a small bottle of spirit gum, brushing just the right amount on his upper lip.  Delicately, he applied the mustache and pressed the lace backing into the adhesive.  Closing up the case, Actor hooked the clear wire-rimmed glasses over his ears. </p><p>For effect, he looked at the partisan with an even sterner SS look.  To his surprise the man gave a slight shudder and walked away.  Terry had noticed it too.</p><p>“What?” she asked quietly.</p><p>Il Lupo bent down with his lips close to her left ear.  “He looks like my father.”</p><p>Terry chuckled.  “He’s supposed to.  He wants to look older than he is, so he appears older or at least close to the age of the officer he will be dealing with.”</p><p>Il Lupo did not correct her.  What he had meant was Actor now resembled his late father . . . the bastardo.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The group was walking down a trail toward the nearest road where a car and truck were waiting for them.  Chief, in the lead, wasn’t sure if he was happy that he hadn’t had to go find the vehicles for them or uncomfortable in losing that part of what he perceived his job to be.  His eyes kept moving through the area around them.  One of Frazini’s men was far in advance of them and two were flanking them in the woods.  After the problems that had occurred in the past, Frazini was taking no chances.<br/>

Actor was behind Chief, in full SS general’s uniform.  Il Lupo was not far off his heels.  Casino and Goniff were next in line.  The Lieutenant, in the uniform of an SS Leutnant, had taken the rear with Terry.  The girl was not particularly happy with the arrangement, but with the tension between the two Italians, she understood her brother keeping her and the men apart.</p><p>At a widening of the trail, Il Lupo moved up beside the taller Italian/American, earning him a wary look from the man.  </p><p>“You are protective of the young lady,” said the partisan in low-voiced Italian.</p><p>“She needs it,” said Actor shortly.</p><p>“Maybe, maybe not so much.”  Il Lupo found baiting Actor amusing.  “Are you not a bit old for her?” he asked.</p><p>Actor looked slightly downward at the man.  “If so then she is way too young for you, is she not?”</p><p>“Ah, touché, my friend,” grinned the older man.  He eyed the SS uniform on the tall man and changed the subject.  “So you are called ‘Attore.’  Are you one?  You wear a disguise and woman’s face paint.”</p><p>“No,” denied Actor.  “I am a confidence man.  I am the best in the business in Europe and America.”  There was pride in his arrogance.</p><p>Il Lupo pondered that a moment.  “A confidence man.  And a jewel thief and ladies’ man?  I seem to remember hearing about a man such as yourself named ‘Attore’ when I was in prison once.  In Milano, I believe.  This man had been there before me.  He bribed his way out and disappeared into thin air.  Or so they said.”  He looked at Actor.  “Perhaps it was you?”</p><p>“Perhaps, perhaps not,” was all Actor would say.</p><p>Garrison spoke softly to his sister.  “I don’t know which is worse, them yelling at each other, or being quiet.”</p><p>“At least when they’re yelling at each other I can understand what they’re talking about,’ said Terry, eyes on the two Italians.</p><p>“You undoubtedly,” said Garrison, teasing her.</p><p>Terry did not find that funny.  “I work closely with Actor.  I have worked closely with Il Lupo.  They’re Italian.  It’s territory.  Sometimes I feel like a dog bone.”</p><p>Garrison chuckled. </p><p>They were almost to the road when they reached the truck and the staff car.  They divided up; Garrison, Actor, Chief and Goniff going to the car, while Terry and Casino went to the truck.  The bags of explosives were put carefully in the back.  Terry climbed into the middle of the seat and Casino got in beside her.</p><p>Il Lupo, standing at the front of the truck, eyed Actor seriously.  “Hey, Attore.”</p><p>The con man paused and walked back to the older man.</p><p>“I will watch out for her, My Friend,” said Il Lupo quietly and solemnly.  “I always do when she is with me.”</p><p>Actor nodded. </p><p>GGGGG</p><p>The three in the truck had retrieved the explosives from the back and were stealthily making their way toward the fence, one eye watching the tower with the single guard.  He gave the appearance of being bored, eyes scanning the area around the fence, but not too closely.  It had been three months since Il Lupo, with Teresa and his men, had destroyed the place.  Perhaps the new reinforcements gave the guard a feeling of security.  That was about to end.</p><p>The staff car pulled up the gate. A corporal approached the two men seated in the back of the open car.  Actor had the angry sneer on his face that usually had the guard allowing them through.</p><p>“Herr General?” asked the guard questioningly.</p><p>“Let us through,” snarled Actor.</p><p>The Leutnant beside the officer was studiously looking straight ahead, as though not wanting to draw any attention to himself.  The two soldiers in the front seat were doing the same.</p><p>“Ihre  Papiere, bitte?” asked the corporal as he was supposed to.</p><p>The general’s eyes bugged out in rage.  “I am SS!  You do not need to see my papers!  You will let us pass!  Now!”  Actor did have forged papers, but the persona he was playing would not show them to a lowly corporal; like the ones he was forced to have sitting in the front seat.</p><p>Trained to obey when a superior officer gave an order in the tone this one had, the guard hurriedly threw open the gate and jumped back as the car surged forward.  He closed the gate behind them and disappeared into the black and white striped hut that held a chair and his hidden bottle of schnapps.</p><p>Chief pulled the car to a stop in front of the steps to the officer’s headquarters.  Goniff jumped out and opened the back door of the car for the two officers.  Actor spat some derogatory comment at Goniff and strode up the steps.  Garrison was a step behind him.  Goniff fumbled closing the car door and scurried around the two men to open the door to the building.</p><p>Actor was in fine form today, thought Chief with humor.  Witnesses to the exchange at the gate and in front of the building thought nothing about it when the staff car was backed around the side of the building.  Chief waited a minute to make sure the men weren’t coming back out and then slipped out of the vehicle and walked around behind it.  He casually made his way to the back of the building, surveyed the area and returned to the car. </p><p>For whatever reason, the alarm system was on the back of the headquarters building.  It wasn’t in sight of the guard towers.  Obviously, whoever had revised the security of the compound hadn’t known what he was doing.  Glancing at his watch, he waited.  There were five minutes to go before he could disable the alarms and then go short out the electricity.</p><p>Inside, the German general was loudly and soundly berating his corporal for his clumsiness and lack of attention.  Goniff did not know what Actor was saying, but even knowing the man was running a con did not make him any less fidgety.  He caught Garrison’s stern look and tried to stand at attention, not looking at Actor.</p><p>The man at the desk had seen the lightning bolts on the general’s collar and the death head on his hat.  The anger that poured off the man made the German corporal apprehensive too.  The general swung around and pinned the guard with an icy glare.</p><p>“I am General Hoch.  I wish to see Major Klein at once!”</p><p>The corporal flashed a Heil Hitler salute and reached for the telephone.</p><p>“I do not want to talk to him on the telephone!  Where is his office?’ blasted Actor, thoroughly enjoying his part.</p><p>The corporal pointed a trembling finger to a bisecting corridor and said it was too the left, third door on the left.  The small entourage walked briskly in that direction.  The corporal sat down in his chair with shaky breath.</p><p>Garrison cast a glance at his second, an ‘are-you-having-fun?’ look in his eyes.  The corner of the Italian’s mouth twitched in a grin that immediately returned to the angry countenance.  The two men paused in front of Major Klein’s office while Goniff scurried to open the door.  Not asking permission, Actor barged in, followed by Garrison, with Goniff taking up the rear.</p><p>Another corporal at a desk in the ante room leapt to his feet and flashed a stiff armed Heil Hitler.  Actor waved a hand upward that could have been a return salute or swatting at a fly.  </p><p>“I am here to see Major Klein.”</p><p>The corporal lowered his hand and hurried to the door of the inner office.  He tried to get the major’s attention but was stopped by the tall general bearing down on him.</p><p>“Aus dem Weg!” barked Actor, pushing through.</p><p>Garrison followed and Goniff remained at the door.</p><p>The major was on the telephone.  He looked up and took in the lightning bolts, immediately hanging up the phone and rising to his feet.  His age appeared to be somewhere between that of Garrison and Actor.  </p><p>“May I help you, Herr General?” he asked uncertainly.</p><p>“Yes, you may help me,” snapped Actor with a tone of impatience.  “I am General Hoch.  This is my assistant, Leutnent Brunner.  I am here to inspect the improvements and security of this facility.  It has been three months since the attack by partisans.  I expect the breaches in security have been remedied.”</p><p>“Oh, yes, Herr General.  Rest assured no one can break into this facility now.”</p><p>“I will be assured when I see it for myself,” sneered Actor.  “I want to see your blueprints, what changes you have made and how much this has cost the Reich.”</p><p>The major was a bit taken aback by the suddenness of the inspection.  He hesitated a bare second.</p><p>“Now, Major!” barked Actor.</p><p>Klein called orders to his Leutnant to get the papers.  They were immediately retrieved from a file cabinet and brought to the impatiently waiting general.  Actor uncaringly swept aside papers and other desk objects to spread out the blueprints.  Just a glance told him they were very close to the hand drawn ones Teresa had made.  Good, no surprises.  Major Klein began a hurried explanation of the changes made to supposedly improve the impermeability of the compound.</p><p>Actor squinted at the plans and reached a hand over to turn on the desk lamp, making a nod of being able to see better.  He spat out pertinent questions about different points along the perimeter of the compound and how much munitions and fuel was stored throughout.</p><p>GGG</p><p>Chief glanced at his watch and moved cautiously behind the building.  He jumped up on top of a trash bin and reached up with wire cutters to snip the wires.  The alarm system was immediately disabled.  He moved over about a foot and opened the door on the electrical box.  It took a few seconds to trace the wiring.  He threw the switch and snipped the wires.  Jumping down, Chief glanced around and moved to where he could be seen by the others on the outside of the fence. He made an ‘okay’ with thumb and forefinger.<br/>
Il Lupo stood, pulling a wicked blade from a sheath on his belt.  He waited until the guard in the tower was about to turn to face their direction and threw the shiv with deadly accuracy.  The man made a strangled sound that could not be heard below.  He dropped his schmeisser and sank to the floor of the guard box.  No sounds were made could have alerted anyone in the compound.<br/>
“Good arm,” whispered Casino in grudging admiration.  He wasn’t sure even Chief could have made that throw.<br/>
“Good aim,” added Terry.  At the Italian’s questioning look, she quickly translated.<br/>
It brought a shrug as though asking what did they expect?  Terry grinned.  The two men pulled wire snips from back pockets and began cutting an opening in the fence.  Peeling the wire back, they held it while the girl squeezed through the hole and took the packages of explosives handed to her.  Chief scrabbled up and took the packages from Terry.  In a second they were all inside. Explosives were handed out and Casino and Chief went in one direction while Terry and Il Lupo went in the other. </p><p>GGG</p><p>The desk light went out and Actor straightened with a superior look at the apprehensive major.  Klein snapped the lamp on and off a couple times with no success.</p><p>“I have a man on the inside,” said Actor.  “He has disabled your alarm system and your electricity.  Now what have you to say about your security?”</p><p>Klein looked at him with wide eyes in non-comprehension.  “I don’t understand?”</p><p>“Of course, you don’t!” blasted Actor.  “You are an imbecile!”  </p><p>He paused and pulled a cigarette from his pocket.  Goniff stepped forward, but Garrison was quicker and lit the general’s cigarette with his lighter.  Actor was shaking his head as he took a deep inhalation and blew it out. </p><p> “This will be reported to Berlin,” said Actor in derision.  “I hope you have warm clothing.  I understand it is very cold at the Russian front.”</p><p>“But . . . but . . .,” Klein stuttered.  He did not know how this could have happened.</p><p>GGG</p><p>Casino and Chief split up, keeping to the perimeter as the soldiers in the compound were running around in confusion in the middle of the compound.  They planted their charges and moved on to their next targets.</p><p>Terry and Il Lupo headed for the main munitions building, sprinting from one building to the next.  Il Lupo cold cocked a soldier who stumbled on them and took the man’s jacket, putting it on and taking the man’s rifle.  Now he shielded Terry as they went to the door of the munitions building.  Terry slipped inside and set her charges, taking time to grab another rifle and shells.  A tap on the door had it opening and the Italian again shielding her with his body as they went behind the building and on to the fuel dump. </p><p>Il Lupo set his charges in between two barrels.  He shepherded the girl back the way they had come.  They met Casino at the hole in the fence.  In all, it had taken them fifteen minutes.  They went through the hole in the fence.  </p><p>Chief was on his way back to the staff car, when a soldier spotted him.  Not recognizing the slightly darker complexioned man, the soldier pointed his gun at the Indian and told him to stop and put his hands up.  Unable to bluff his way out with broken German, Chief did as he was told.</p><p>GGG</p><p>Actor shook his head in mock disgust.  He turned to Garrison and spoke in German, telling him they were leaving.  He was not going to stay here any longer.  He wished for the comfort of the hotel they were staying in with a telephone he could use to call Kesselring and apprise him of the situation.</p><p>The name of Kesselring, the German commander of forces in Italy, turned Major Klein into a shaking idiot.  He said nothing as the SS men turned and strode out.</p><p>The car was not in front of the building where it was supposed to be.  Garrison sent Goniff around the building to see what was keeping Chief.  The Lieutenant glanced at his watch and knew if they didn’t get out of there quickly, the first explosion would occur before they were clear.</p><p>Goniff spotted the car, but not Chief.  He quickly glanced around the far corner of the building.  Nobody was there.  Not knowing what to do, the Englishman got behind the wheel and started the car up.  He drove slowly around to the front.</p><p>Garrison and Actor looked at him with question.  Goniff shook his head.  They could not wait any longer.  Both SS officers climbed into the backseat.  </p><p>“Go,” said Garrison with just enough volume for Goniff to hear.</p><p>“Wot about . . .”</p><p>“Drive!” interrupted Garrison urgently.  </p><p>Goniff steered through the confusion of soldiers.  He could see the gate and thought they might make it.  Garrison and Actor knew better.</p><p>The first explosion sent flame and smoke soaring upward with boards and pieces of roof.</p><p>“Floor it!” yelled Garrison in English at the pickpocket.</p><p>Goniff tromped on the gas pedal and aimed for the middle of the gate.  Garrison and Actor were shooting at the guard and soldiers who were firing at them.  The big Mercedes hit the gate and crashed through as the second explosion went off.  They were both munitions buildings.  The main munitions building would be next, followed by the fuel dump.</p><p>As the car sped down the road toward the rendezvous, Garrison frowned worriedly.  They heard the deafening explosion of the main munitions building.</p><p>Actor glanced at the Lieutenant.  “Perhaps Chief had to go out with Casino.”  He did not believe that for a minute.</p><p>Neither did Garrison.  “Probably.”</p><p>The fuel dump exploded with a trembling of the ground, another deafening roar, and a ball of fire shooting into the air.</p><p>Casino, Terry and Il Lupo were hiding behind the boulders where Terry had drawn the blueprint of the compound.  The blast from the fuel dump brought a smile to the Italian’s face.</p><p>“I think that is better than the last time,” he said in Italian to Terry.</p><p>“I think you’re right,” replied the girl, equally happy.</p><p>They watched the chaos as soldiers attempted to put out the many fires with very little equipment.   A few minutes later, the sound of a car engine reached them.  They split up and took cover, only to appear when the other three joined them.</p><p>“Chief with you?” asked Garrison with concern.</p><p>“Naw,” replied Casino.  “He was supposed to be with you.”</p><p>“He never showed up,” said Garrison.</p><p>They all took up spots behind boulders and tried to see through the smoke and haze.  Though tanker trucks were spraying the burning buildings with water, the fires burned out of control with white smoke adding to the black.</p><p>It was Il Lupo who spotted Chief.  The Indian was facing the wrong end of a rifle.  “There is your man,” he said in Italian.</p><p>“Dove?” asked Actor trying to peer through the moving haze.</p><p>“In front of the headquarters.” As he watched the soldier’s actions he added, “I do not think they are going to take him prisoner.”  Il Lupo rose and slapped Casino on the shoulder.  “Venire!”</p><p>The cracksman understood that one word.  Not asking permission, Casino rose and started after the partisan leader.  Not about to be left behind, Goniff joined them.  Actor looked to Garrison. Craig nodded.  The con man spoke German and Italian.  Besides, chances were Chief would need medical attention before this was over.   The sound of the staff car engine could be heard and the sound rapidly faded.</p><p>“Start the truck up,” said Craig, eyes on the Indian.</p><p>Terry ran to the truck, swung up into the driver’s seat and started the engine up.  She left it running, with the door open, and returned sliding in the dirt to stop beside her brother.  As the Garrisons watched, they saw Major Klein come out of the headquarters building.  By the gesturing and posturing, they knew the officer was ordering the soldier to just shoot.</p><p>“They aren’t going to make it,” said Terry in desperation.</p><p>“Can you take the shot?” asked Garrison.</p><p>“Are you crazy?” asked Terry unable to believe what she was hearing.  “I’ll hit Chief.”</p><p>“At this range we both know I’ll miss,” said Garrison.  “I’ll try to hit Klein.”</p><p>“Craig!” objected the girl.  “I can’t!  I’ll kill Chief!”</p><p>“They’re going to kill him in a minute.  At least he has a better chance with you.”</p><p>He watched his sister.  Alone, he could admit she was the better long-range shot.  Her head was shaking slowly from side to side even as she jacked a shell into the long rifle she held.  In a move he had not seen from her in years, Garrison watched the girl cross herself.  Her countenance changed and she settled the rifle butt tightly against her shoulder and sighted down the barrel.  From that point on, Garrison concentrated on setting up his shot at the officer.</p><p>Almost simultaneously, both rifles cracked.  Wordlessly, the two watched.  The soldier crumpled and the officer spun around but stayed upright.  Chief did not hesitate but ran for cover.  The two behind the boulders watched him angle toward the hole in the fence behind the buildings.</p><p>Terry sat back on her heels and whispered something that vaguely sounded like a thank you.  The two siblings exchanged a look.  The girl frowned.</p><p>“Why did you stay?” she asked.  “It’s not like you to leave a man hanging and not go help him.”</p><p>Garrison shook his head.  “I pretty much knew it was going to come to this.   You and I are the best shots of this group, except Chief.  And I don’t know how good that Italian friend of yours is.”</p><p>“I don’t either,” admitted Terry, not bothering to take offense at the reference to Il Lupo.</p><p>Garrison did another unusual thing and pulled out a pack of Italian cigarettes Actor had given him.  He shook one out to Terry and took one for himself, lighting both of them.  Now all they could do was watch and wait for the men to return.</p><p>GGG</p><p>Actor drove like a maniac trying to get to the camp.  He stood on the brake and slid the big car to a stop as Chief came out of the woods ahead of them.  Throwing the car into reverse, he backed around as the Indian dove into the back. Not waiting for the man to get upright, the con man threw it in gear and raced back the way they had come.</p><p>The Garrisons were coming out of the woods when Actor put the staff car into the bar ditch and killed the engine.  Casino and Goniff climbed into the back of the truck.  Il Lupo got behind the wheel. Terry had one hand on the tailgate when Chief asked. “Who took the shot?”</p><p>“He did,” said Terry before Garrison could respond.  She swung up into the back.</p><p>Chief followed her.  Garrison said nothing but climbed into the middle of the front seat.  Actor took the outside passenger side of the seat.  The truck started off. </p><p>The four in the back settled on the floor of the truck.  Goniff looked at Terry curiously.</p><p>“’Ow come the Warden didn’t come with us?” he asked.</p><p>“Yeah,” said Casino, now that he had time to think about it.</p><p>“Said he knew you wouldn’t get there in time and he’d have to do the long shot,” said Terry stolidly.</p><p>Chief said nothing but looked at the girl who was leaning against the wall of the truck, eyes closing.  Casino took up watch out the back.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They made it back to the partisan camp without mishap.  They had been passed twice by trucks of German troops, but Garrison and Actor had removed the hats and tunics so all the Germans saw were a truck of Italians.  The sun was setting, when they got back and grabbed some more of the unending soup the camp followers kept cooking.</p><p>Frazini was waiting for them.  The plane was on the way to get them.  It would arrive at their hidden airstrip in two hours.  They would have to leave in another hour.  He listened with approval to the story of destruction.  </p><p>“What will you do now?” asked Garrison.</p><p>Frazini gave that vague Italian shrug.  “We will leave after you do and go back to our previous camp.”</p><p>Garrison looked at Il Lupo.  Neither Terry, nor Actor, was close by to translate.  “What about him?” Craig asked Emilio.</p><p>Emilio asked the partisan leader that question.</p><p>“I will meet my group at our other camp and probably go back to Austria again until this settles down,” said the man around a bite of bread.</p><p>Frazini translated.  Garrison held his hand out to the older man.  “Tell him thank you,” said Craig.</p><p>Il Lupo recognized the two words and gave a small smile and nod, reaching out to shake the American’s hand firmly. </p><p>Terry was off at the edge of the camp, watching the three men interact.  She was troubled, knowing it was doubtful she would return here.  She could not leave things like this.  Goodbyes were considered bad luck in this case, but she felt it was necessary.  When the older Italian moved away toward the path to his other camp, she cut through the woods to intercept him.  She could swear he had been expecting her.</p><p>Terry moved through the woods with Il Lupo until they were away from the others.  She stopped and he turned back to her.</p><p>“Caro,” she said quietly.  “I know why we have the nicknames, but I would really like to know; what is your real name?”</p><p>He cocked his head and studied her a moment.  He was not sure why, but it seemed important to the young woman.  Besides, he now knew her real name.</p><p>“Marco,” he said.  “Marco Mancini.”</p><p>The blood drained from Terry’s face.  It surprised and worried the man.</p><p>“Where were you born?” she asked quickly.</p><p>“A villa north and west of Roma.”  He studied her.  “Why?”</p><p>“How old are you?”</p><p>“Forty-six.”</p><p>Oh my God, thought Terry.  He’s the right age.  “You have family?”</p><p>He shook his head.  “My papa disowned me.  After my mamma and sorella died of some kind of illness, he disowned my younger brother and banned him from the villa.  The old bastardo died a long time ago.  I tried to find my brother, but there was never any sign of him.  I think he must be dead too.”</p><p>Terry grabbed his hands and squeezed tightly.  “Please, stay here.  Wait for me.  I will be right back.  It is molto importante.  Promise me you will wait.”  </p><p>The girl was speaking urgently.  Marco did not know what was upsetting her, but he had a couple minutes left before he had to meet the others.   “I will wait, cara.  What is it?”</p><p>“Just wait.  I’ll be right back.”</p><p>He watched the girl turn and sprint back the way they had come.</p><p>Terry barely slowed as she entered the camp.  She stopped short and quickly scanned the camp.  Actor was standing with Craig across the clearing.  Both had seen her hurried entrance and were watching her with caution.  She hurried across the clearing and grabbed Actor by the wrist.  She spoke urgently in Italian.</p><p>“Come with me.  You have to come.  Now.”</p><p>“No, Teresa.  What is the matter?  I am not going anywhere until you tell me what is wrong.”</p><p>“It’s not wrong,” she said, tugging on his wrist.</p><p>“Terry?” asked her brother in English.</p><p>“Stay out of it, Craig.  I need Actor for something.  I need him to come now.”  She looked up half pleading, half insistent at the confidence man.  “Come with me.  Hurry.”</p><p>Actor did not know what to make of the girl’s odd behavior and resisted.  “Not until you tell me what is going on.”</p><p>She shook her head adamantly.  “I can’t tell you, I have to show you.  Damn you, Actor, come with me!”</p><p>She had never sworn at him.  His first instinct was to break away from her, even if it meant hurting her, but for her to speak to him like that further enforced the importance of whatever was upsetting her.  He looked at an equally confused Garrison, who shrugged and nodded for him to go.  So, Actor allowed the girl to pull him along.  She was not about to release the strong grip on his wrist.  He almost dug his heels in again when he saw she was taking the same path Il Lupo had gone down.</p><p>Terry kept a firm grasp on Actor’s wrist as she yanked on him to get him to follow her into the woods.</p><p>“Teresa, whatever you are up to, I am not interested,” he said angrily.  </p><p>“Trust me, it is molto importante.”</p><p>They moved farther into the darkness until they reached a small spot where the sunlight reached down.  The older Italian was standing with crossed arms, just as unhappy as Actor.  The two men came to stand face to face, tension pouring off them like molten lava.</p><p>Terry stood to the side of them and took a deep breath.  “Vittorio Mancini.  Marco Mancini.”</p><p>Actor reacted in anger, though he kept his voice low.  “Do not be ridiculous!  Marco is dead.  He was killed in 1916.  What kind of game are you playing Teresa?”</p><p>The gray/green eyes that had also been glaring at the young woman, now turned in astonishment to the taller man he had only known as ‘Actor.’</p><p>“Cucciolo?” Il Lupo asked in quiet wonder.  “Mio fratello piccolo?”</p><p>Actor’s eyes shot back to the other man’s in shock at hearing the nickname his brother had called him as a child.  “Marco?”  The color drained from his face.  “But you are dead.  Papa said you had been killed in Milano.”</p><p>“Not true,” assured Marco.  “I was hurt, but I lived.”</p><p>“But he even made a crypta for you.”</p><p>“Sì, because I failed him.  To him I was dead, as I assume you were when you left.”</p><p>“Dio,” breathed Actor in shock.</p><p>The two men stared at each other and suddenly they were in each other’s arms, hugging and talking in fast Italian.  Terry backed slowly away and faded into the woods.  Though she loved one and almost loved the other, this was a time for them to be alone together and figure out what was happening.  Taking up Chief’s teaching, Terry started walking a spiral perimeter, making sure the area was safe from intruders, enemy and friendly.</p><p>The girl never found out what was said between the two brothers, but a bird call had her returning to the two.  Actor took one last look at the older man and turned away, going back toward the camp.  Terry looked at Marco and tried to smile.  It was shaky at best.  The man held his arms open and she moved in for a hug and one last kiss.</p><p>Garrison was concerned when his second returned alone.  There was an open look of wonder and shock on his face.</p><p>“What happened?” asked Craig.  “Are you all right?”</p><p>Actor nodded but did not answer.</p><p>“Where’s Terry?”   Something odd was going on here, but Garrison did not know what.  He looked up as the girl walked slowly back into the camp.  “Oh, there she is.”</p><p>Actor turned and waited for the girl to come up to him.  She looked up at him, eyes moist.  It was almost his undoing too.  He held his arms open and she now moved into his embrace.  </p><p>“Thank you, cara,” Actor whispered into her ear.</p><p>She hugged him hard and tilted her head back to look up at him.  He bent his head and openly kissed her in front of her brother.  Later, much later, Terry would wonder at the oddity of being hugged and kissed by both brothers.</p><p>GGGGG</p><p>Sgt./Major Collins was at the top of the stairs when the truck pulled up and discharged the group.  All looked tired, but uninjured.  That was just as well.</p><p>“I’m so glad you are back, Leftenant,” said the man agitatedly.  “I was afraid you wouldn’t get here in time.”</p><p>Now what, wondered Garrison tiredly.  “What is it, Sgt./Major?”</p><p>“It’s Miss Kit from the Blue Fox, Sir.”</p><p>“Something happened to Kit?” asked Terry sharply.</p><p>“No, Miss Terry, but she’s coming tomorrow and bringing a pig!”</p><p>Garrison counted to ten.  He was too tired for this right now.  A pig?  What next?</p><p>“Wot am I supposed to do with a pig?” asked the non-com worriedly.</p><p>“Feed it the same stuff you been feedin’ us,” said Casino sarcastically.</p><p>Chief looked up.  “Guess you’re gonna hafta build it a pigpen.”</p><p>Actor smiled.  “Didn’t I read somewhere that pigs like mud?  You must be sure to dig up a large square of dirt for it and keep it watered.”</p><p>Garrison shook his head.  He knew his sister did not like taking care of pigs so she would not be getting a live pig.</p><p>“But, Leftenant?”  The whine was almost on par with Goniff’s.</p><p>“It’s all right, Sgt./Major,” said Terry.  “It’s from one of our pig clubs.  I have a hind quarter coming.”</p><p>That did not help the British man much.  “I have to cut it up?” he whined.</p><p>Garrison started counting to ten again.</p><p>“No,” said Terry patiently.  “The butcher cuts it up and wraps it into chops and roasts.  Just put it in the freezer in the mud room.”</p><p>GGGGG</p><p>Life went on as before.  When Terry reached the end of her patience, she disappeared for a couple weeks.  The men would come down to the Fox on occasion to see her.  It was there that Chief got her alone and broached something that had been bothering him.</p><p>“You took that shot, didn’t you?” he asked quietly.</p><p>“What shot?”  Terry feigned ignorance.</p><p>Chief was deterred.  “Warden’s good, but he isn’t that good.  He took down the Major.  You took the shot at the soldier that was about to shoot me.”</p><p>“We told you who took the shot,” said Terry.  She tried to move away, but he blocked her.</p><p>“Ain’t callin’ you a liar, but I don’t believe you.”</p><p>Terry looked at him and sighed.  “You’re alive.  That’s what’s important.  Just give it a rest, Chief.”  She turned and walked away.</p><p>The trouble was Chief couldn’t leave it alone.  He told the others his theory that the girl had shot the soldier.  This started an argument that repeated itself over and over.  Terry refused to enter into the conversation to confirm or deny anything.  Garrison stayed out of it too.</p><p>GGG</p><p>Terry settled in the chair with a book.  She had been ignoring the conversation in the room, until she heard the same argument going on between Chief and Casino.  She did not know what had started it again, but it was getting on her nerves.</p><p>“I told you I saw the flashes on the ridge,” said Chief in aggravation. </p><p>“Yeah, so you said,” scoffed Casino.  “I just don’t happen to buy it.”</p><p>Terry laid her book down.  Not saying a word, she got up and walked into Craig’s office.  Bypassing the desk and her working brother, she moved straight to the wall safe and opened it.  Craig watched her remove some money and count out several bills, putting the rest back. </p><p>“I need to borrow,” said Terry.</p><p>Craig’s face took on an amused smile at the determination on his sister’s face.  He got up and followed her out.  Terry moved to the gun cabinet and took out a rifle.  She jacked a bullet into the chamber.  The sound made the others look up.  Terry walked over to the table where the safecracker sat, gun butt on her left hip, and slapped the money on the table next to the man.</p><p>“Willing to put your money where your big mouth is, Casino?” asked Terry with a dare in her voice.  “Closed bet, double or nothing, one shot, Actor holds the bet and picks the target.”  </p><p>Terry and Casino locked eyes in a battle of wills.  He looked down at the money, a little startled to see one hundred dollars.  They usually only made ten dollar bets.  Still not willing to back down, he accepted.  Pulling a wad of bills out of his pocket, he placed two hundred dollars on top of her money.</p><p>Terry led the way outside.  The men all followed.  Garrison could not keep a smug grin off his face.  The group came to a stop in the yard.  Actor looked around, trying to find a target at approximately the distance that shot in France had been.  He finally spotted a no trespassing sign on the perimeter fence.</p><p>“All right, how about that sign on the fence?”</p><p>“Which letter?” asked Terry.</p><p>Actor shot a startled look at her as did Casino.</p><p>“P,” said Garrison.  “We’ll make it a little easier.”</p><p>“I can’t even see the ruddy ‘P’,” said Goniff.</p><p>“All right with you?” Terry asked Casino.</p><p>“Sure,” said Casino with false confidence.  “Easy money for me.”</p><p>Craig held out binoculars to Casino, that he had thought to bring outside.  “Take a look and make sure it’s intact.”</p><p>Casino was becoming increasingly unsure as he recognized the Warden’s confidence.  He took the binoculars and looked at the sign.  “No holes.”</p><p>The men backed out of the way as Terry brought the rifle up to bear on her shoulder.  She tucked it in tight, sighting down the barrel.  Satisfied, she took a couple slow deep breaths then let it all out and held her breath.  She squeezed the trigger and fired.  The sign jumped and fell off the fence.</p><p>“Blimey!  She hit it,” said Goniff surprised.</p><p>“Yeah, but did she hit the P?” asked Casino, still not willing to back down.</p><p>Chief was already sprinting to retrieve the sign.  They could see the white toothed grin on his face when he ran back.  Stopping in front of Casino, he held the sign up.  There was a hole through the top part of the P.  </p><p>“Bloody hell!” said Goniff </p><p>“Dio!” said Actor.</p><p>Craig laughed.  Casino turned dumbstruck eyes on Terry.  </p><p>“Finally,” the woman said, “silence.”</p><p>She snatched the money out of Actor’s hand and shoved the rifle against her brother’s chest without watching for him to grab it. Without another word, she walked back into the house.</p><p>“Told yuh it was her,” said Chief with satisfaction.</p><p>GGGGG</p><p>Months had passed with no word from Frazini.  G-2 did deign to let Garrison know their week of destruction had the desired effect and Allied forces had hit the lower coast of Italy with fewer casualties than predicted thanks to the German and Italian armies moving their troops north.</p><p>Terry answered the knock at the door and took the sealed message from the corporal.  She didn’t look at it, just took it into Craig’s office and handed it to him.  Garrison looked at the name on the outside and shot a surprised glance up at his sister.</p><p>“It’s for you,” he said.</p><p>Terry gave him a puzzled look and took it from him.  He watched her open it and start to read it.  The color drained from her face and she bit both lips, trying not to cry.  Garrison stood up in alarm.</p><p>“What?” he asked.</p><p>“Get Actor and shut the door,” she said, handing the note to him.</p><p>She walked to the window and leaned against the frame, back to him, shoulders bowed.  Garrison quickly read the note.  It was a wireless message from Frazini.  As usual with unanticipated wireless messages, it was not good news.  God, he hated this.  Resolutely, he went to the door and looked at the con man sitting in his chair reading a newspaper.</p><p>“Actor,” said Garrison.</p><p>The Italian looked up and a chill went through him at the masked expression on the lieutenant’s face.  Please, no, he thought, though somehow, he was sure of what he was about to learn.  He rose from his chair and walked to the office, not noticing the silence in the common room.  The others knew something was wrong, but not what.</p><p>Garrison motioned him inside the office and shut the door behind them.  Actor was looking at Terry’s back.  Craig held the message out to him.  </p><p>Actor looked at it, not wanting to take it, but knowing it was inevitable.  Slowly he opened the paper.  It was short and succinct.   “Il Lupo dead.  Hill fight with enemy.  Sorry.  Frazini.”  Actor carefully folded the note back up and took a breath to steady himself.  He looked up to see Teresa looking at him from the window, eyes moist.  He felt the burning behind his eyes and had to get away.</p><p>“Thank you, Warden,” Actor said quietly.  “If you don’t mind, I would like to be alone for a while.”</p><p>Garrison nodded and stepped back as the tall man turned and walked out the door with dignity.  He walked straight to the front door and went out.  Garrison stepped into the doorway of his office.  The others were looking at him in question.</p><p>“His brother was killed,” said Craig in explanation.</p><p>“Damn,” said Chief, watching the con man walk with bent head and rounded shoulders toward the gate to the back acres.</p><p>“Bloody damn war,” said Goniff.</p><p>“Poor guy,” said Casino.  “Just gets his brother back and loses him again.”</p><p>Garrison was surprised at that coming out of the safecracker, but then not too surprised.</p><p>GGG</p><p>Terry picked at the food on her plate but could not eat it.  The chair next to her was conspicuously empty.  Actor had been gone for hours now.   Thunder rumbled in the distance.  He had said he wanted to be alone, but somebody should go get him before it started to rain.  She pushed back her chair and rose, taking her plate and putting it in the refrigerator beside the covered one for the con man.  She went back through the dining room, past the men.  Craig did not stop her.  At the door, she put on a jacket and took Actor’s coat from the tree.</p><p>Outside, she walked across the open lawn and took the path into the woods.  It was dark and cold.  The wind was starting to come up and leaves rustled crisply.  She could smell the rain coming.  Turning down the path to the pond, she walked quietly.<br/>He was there, sitting on the big rock, leaning on his forearms on his knees.  Terry walked up behind him and draped the jacket over his shoulders.  She sat down beside him, not touching.  He turned his head to look at her.  A slight residual redness and puffiness of his eyes spoke of the emotional time he was having.</p><p>“You loved him too, didn’t you?” Actor asked.</p><p>Terry nodded.  “In a way I did.  There was a lot of him that was like you.  When he wanted to, he could be kind, and gentle and caring, but he still had steel in his spine.  Like you.”</p><p>Actor did not know why, but he felt compelled to ask.  “Did you sleep with him?”</p><p>Terry turned her head to look back at him.  “Yes.  In the same way I sleep with Casino and Goniff and Craig and sometimes you when we are on a mission.  You know those mountains.  The nights are frigid.  I did not trust any of the others, but I trusted him.  And sleeping on the open ground with a group of people all around you is not conducive to anything of an intimate nature.”</p><p>“Would you have?”  Actor cursed himself for asking that and looked away.  “Never mind.”</p><p>Terry ignored the last.  “I don’t think so.  I spent three weeks in close quarters with him.  I got to know him as much as he would let me.  I was drawn to him, but not enough for that.”</p><p>Actor nodded.  “I’m sorry.  I should not have asked that.  It is none of my business.”</p><p>“Yes it is.”</p><p>The Italian’s head turned to look at her.</p><p>“You know how important you are to me,” she said.  Terry frowned and laid a hand on his forearm.  “Vittorio, did I make it worse for you?” she asked.  “You had already lost him and had dealt with it.  Then, all of a sudden, he’s alive and you only get a few minutes with him.  Now you’ve lost him again.”</p><p>He looked at her and shook his head.  “Teresa, you gave me the most wonderful gift!  Even those few minutes with him were precious.  I can never regret that.  And I thank you for giving my brother back to me, even for so short a time.”</p><p>Actor straightened and, after a moment, bent his head to place a light kiss on her lips.  He pulled back just a couple inches.  Terry’s hand went up to cup his cheek and she leaned in to give him a deeper kiss in return.  He turned into her and enfolded her in his arms, meeting her kiss with a quiet desperation.  When they came up for air, she slipped her arm around his neck and hugged him tightly.</p><p>Cold wet drops of water began to fall on them through the trees.</p><p>“I think it’s raining,” observed Terry</p><p>Thunder rumbled.</p><p>“I think we are going to get soaked before we get to the house,” predicted Actor.</p><p>“I think you’re right.”</p><p>Terry released him and stood up, facing him.  Actor stood and slipped his arms into the sleeves of the jacket.  He remained still as the girl’s hands clasp either side of his waist.  He pulled her to him and held her.</p><p>“Thank you, cara,” he whispered into her ear.</p><p>She squeezed him tightly in response and released him.  He took her hand and they set off down the path back to the house.  As soon as they emerged onto the lawn, the skies opened up and drenched them.  They broke into a loping run, or rather Actor broke into a loping run.  Terry broke into a full gallop to keep up with the con man’s long legs.</p>
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